Cleared 2.31m
First Place in All Three Competitions This Year
Woo Sang-hyeok (28, Yongin City Hall) defeated 'Paris Olympic champion' Hamish Kerr (New Zealand) to win the World Indoor Athletics Championships. It is Woo Sang-hyeok's first time reclaiming the top spot in three years.
Woo Sang-hyeok is celebrating while holding the Taegeukgi after winning the men's high jump final at the 2025 World Indoor Athletics Championships held in Nanjing, China, on the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 21st, Woo Sang-hyeok cleared 2.31m to win the men's high jump final at the 2025 World Indoor Championships held at the Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park in China. Woo, the 2022 Belgrade champion (2.34m), finished third (2.28m) at last year's Glasgow Championships.
By winning this year, Woo Sang-hyeok regained the 'World Indoor Championships champion' title after three years and two competitions. He also became the first 'three-time consecutive World Indoor Championships medalist' in 11 years since Ivan Ukhov (Russia), who won medals consecutively in 2010, 2012, and 2014.
Woo cleared 2.14m and 2.20m on his first attempts with light and agile movements. At 2.24m, he touched the bar on his first attempt but comfortably succeeded on his second attempt with a considerable distance from the bar.
Thirteen athletes competed in the men's high jump at this championship. When the bar was raised to 2.28m, only six athletes, including Woo Sang-hyeok, remained. Woo cleared 2.28m on his first attempt and roared in celebration.
Five athletes cleared 2.28m, but only Woo and Kerr succeeded on their first attempts. Tied for first place, Woo took the lead alone by clearing 2.31m on his first attempt.
Kerr, who won the Paris Olympics (2.36m) and the Glasgow World Indoor Championships (2.36m) last year, failed all three attempts at 2.31m.
Rising star Ole Doroshchuk (Ukraine), who holds the world’s best record this season (2.34m), also failed to clear the 2.31m barrier.
Raymond Richards (Jamaica), Eliezer Koshiba (USA), and Doroshchuk, who also cleared 2.28m, placed third to fifth based on the number of failed attempts.
After confirming his victory, Woo Sang-hyeok did not attempt a higher record but celebrated his win wrapped in the Taegeukgi (Korean national flag).
Woo Sang-hyeok won his first jump of the season at the indoor meet in Hustopece, Czech Republic, on February 9 with a 2.31m clearance, and on February 19, he also topped the podium at the Bansk? Bystrica meet in Slovakia with 2.28m.
By winning the World Indoor Championships, which marks the end of the indoor season, Woo has claimed first place in all three international competitions he participated in this year.
Woo Sang-hyeok has set this World Indoor Championships, the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, Gyeongbuk in May, and the Tokyo Outdoor World Championships in September as his most important goals for this year.
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