Woo Sang-hyuk will compete in the men’s high jump final at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Thursday at 8pm at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Main Stadium in Hangzhou, China. In the preliminary round two days ago, he cleared 2.15 meters on his first attempt.
Heading into the final, Woo has his sights set on gold.
Woo, who first competed at the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014 as a high school student, won a silver medal in Jakarta-Palembang five years ago with a clearance of 2.28 meters.
The difference in stature between then and now is significant. 온라인카지노
Woo has steadily improved to become one of the world’s top athletes.
After leaping 2.35 meters to finish fourth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Woo set a South Korean record of 2.36 meters at the Hustopece Indoor Championships in the Czech Republic last year.
This year, he has risen even higher, winning the Diamond League Final, the most prestigious event in athletics, last month.
Now, he aims to beat his rivals and become the country’s best jumper.
Standing in Woo’s way is Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar), one of the most dominant high jumpers in the world.
He has won three consecutive world titles and a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. He has also won gold at the Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010 and Incheon in 2014.
Barshim is not taking this competition lightly.
He’s been building his body while missing the Diamond League, which was won by Woo Sang-hyuk, and his hard work paid off in the qualifiers, where he finished first overall with 2m19.
Both his personal best and season’s best are narrowly ahead of Woo’s, so it will be a tough challenge for Barsim.
Nevertheless, Woo is on a clear upward trajectory and the world will be watching closely.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) even said that “the most exciting event in athletics at the Hangzhou Asian Games will be the high jump between Woo and Barshim”.
At the current pace, the odds are not in their favor.
Both vowed to compete in good faith. After qualifying, they rubbed shoulders and smiled broadly.
Barshim asked Woo what “hello” means in Korean, and he responded with a series of learned phrases.
“I’ll see you in the finals,” Barsim said, looking forward to facing off against Woo.
Woo Sang-hyuk is equally excited, and with his trademark positive attitude, the so-called smile jumper says, “It’s fun to jump high.
If I enjoy the excitement in the final, the serenity will come naturally. I’m looking forward to the final,” he laughed.
He’s also confident. “I only jumped once in the qualifiers, but it feels good,” said Woo. Five years ago, I put a lot of energy into my body just to win gold.
Now I have the know-how.
The goal is definitely gold,” he emphasized.
If Woo wins, Korean athletics will have won gold in the men’s high jump at the Asian Games for the first time in 21 years since Lee Jin-taek.
With the field narrowed down to Woo and Barsim, Choi Jin-woo (Ulsan Sports Science and Technology) will also join the final after qualifying.