“The first superstar to write history in Korean track and field has arrived!”

Woo Sang-hyuk (27, Yongin City Hall), who is on his way to becoming a ‘Living Legend’ in Korean athletics, entered the country through Incheon Airport Terminal 2 on the afternoon of the 19th ahead of the ‘2022 Hangzhou Asian Games’. Woo Sang-hyuk set a personal outdoor record of 2m35, beating rival Juvon Harrison (USA, 2m33) in the men’s high jump at the ‘2023 World Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League Final’ held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on the 17th (Korean time). and won the championship. Woo Sang-hyuk is the first Korean track and field athlete to advance to the Diamond Final and win the championship. Sanghyuk Woo was ranked 7th in Diamond League ranking points last year (16 points) and did not make it to the finals where the top 6 compete, but he competed in 4 of the 6 competitions (Doha, Rome-Florence, Zurich, and Stockholm) where this year’s Diamond League high jump competitions were held. While participating, he earned 20 ranking points and earned the right to advance to 4th place overall, creating new history. Woo Sang-hyuk, who appeared at the airport arrival hall holding the Diamond League Finals championship trophy in both hands, met with reporters and said, “I think I’m returning (to Korea) after a month and a half. I unfortunately placed 6th at the World Championships, so I didn’t feel any pressure. “It was disappointing, but I felt a little more at ease after that, and I think I was able to find the things I needed to improve on, prove it all the way to the finals, and win,” he said of his thoughts on returning home.

By winning the Diamond League Final, they also confirmed participation in next year’s Paris Summer Olympics. The standard record for high jump at the Paris Olympics is 2m33. The standard record is from July 1 of last year to June 30 of next year. Woo Sang-hyuk passed the standard record early, giving him time to prepare for the Olympics without any burden. Right now, Woo Sang-hyuk’s gaze is directed to Hangzhou, China. Woo Sang-hyuk will appear on the Asian stage for three consecutive competitions, following the 2014 Incheon Games and the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. At the Incheon Games, his first appearance as a high school student, he ranked 10th overall with 2m20. Afterwards, at the Jakarta-Palembang competition, where he was gradually improving, he won a silver medal by jumping 2m28. His biggest obstacle on the way to gold is Mutaz Essa Barsim (Qatar). Barshim won two consecutive championships in Guangzhou in 2010 (2m27) and Incheon in 2014 (2m35). Barsim, who was unable to participate in the Jakarta-Palembang competition due to injury, is preparing to regain the top spot in the Asian Games for the first time in nine years. Because of this, he is also skipping the Diamond League Finals and focusing on the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Woo Sang-hyuk announced the birth of his star by setting a Korean record of 2m35 (4th place) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and set another Korean record by running 2m36 at the Justo Pece indoor jumping track and field competition in February last year.

On the 17th (Korean time), he won the men’s high jump at the ‘2023 World Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League Final’ held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, by setting a personal outdoor record of 2m35, beating rival Juvon Harrison (USA, 2m33). Woo Sang-hyuk won. Photo┃World Athletics Federation official SNS

On the 17th (Korean time), he won the men’s high jump at the ‘2023 World Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League Final’ held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, by setting a personal outdoor record of 2m35, beating rival Juvon Harrison (USA, 2m33). Woo Sang-hyuk won. Photo┃World Athletics Federation official SNS

Woo Sang-hyuk goes straight from Incheon Airport to the Jincheon National Athletes’ Village in North Chungcheong Province to prepare for his first Asian Games high jump gold medal in 21 years since Lee Jin-taek reached the top at the 1998 Bangkok and 2002 Busan Games. The high jump event at the Hangzhou Asian Games will be held on the morning of the 2nd of next month, followed by the finals on the afternoon of the 4th.

• Thoughts on returning home after winning the Diamond League Finals.

“I think I’m coming back now after a month and a half. I’ve competed five times. I’ve run a lot. I went with the goal of the world championships, but unfortunately I ended up in 6th place, so I think I felt some pressure. I was disappointed that I finished 6th, but now after that. “I felt a little more at ease, and I think I won because I was able to find the points I needed to improve and prove it all the way to the finals.”

-The feeling of holding a championship trophy in your hands.스포츠토토

“The time zones in Korea, Europe, and the U.S. are different. I’ve always dreamed of playing in the Diamond League while watching YouTube in the early morning. Then, I watched the finals every day on YouTube and thought, ‘Is that really possible?’ It was a dream when I was young. I just wanted to play. Winning was. “I could never have imagined it. It was just a dream, but I feel like my childhood dream has come true.”

-Did you have a premonition of winning?

“Then I had no idea, I just wanted to win. I really felt like I had to win this time to be a little more motivated. I thought I would feel good about next year’s Paris Olympics or the Asian Games right away. So I just did what I was practicing. What I was doing. I wanted to try it mainly.

“When I ran 2m35 in the first time, I jumped a little boldly and felt good. So I ran even more boldly in the second time. I had a feeling that I could surpass the 2m35 mark in the second time as well. So, ‘I will almost pass this in the third time.’ “I just ran because I wanted to, and I was able to surpass it. I had run too many times before. I could have tried to go to the next height, but in the end, I won, so I will challenge my best record at the Asian Games.”

On the 17th (Korean time), he won the men’s high jump at the ‘2023 World Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League Final’ held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, by setting a personal outdoor record of 2m35, beating rival Juvon Harrison (USA, 2m33). Woo Sang-hyuk won. Photo┃World Athletics Federation official SNS

Woo Sang-hyuk, who won the first Korean track and field gold medal in the men’s high jump at the ‘2023 World Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League Final’ held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA on the 17th (Korean time), returned home through Incheon Terminal 2 on the afternoon of the 19th. Photo (Incheon Airport)┃Provided by Daily Run

“I didn’t win right away (after the World Championships). A week later, I came in 3rd place again. And Barsim won, which gave me a lot of motivation. I definitely think that the records go back and forth by 2-3cm due to the slight difference in pressure among the players. The goal was only a gold medal. 2m36 was a challenge. Now, I received that feedback and reflected it a little more (in the Diamond League Final competition). You may not know this, but I did a lot of 2m35 and 2m36 challenges. I also tried a lot of 2m37, but it was a challenge. “There wasn’t that much feedback.”

“I tend to pursue new routines rather than established routines. The biggest competition was the World Championships. First, I did what I used to do, but after the World Championships, I was introduced to new routines and new methods. In fact, it was more fun and exciting. New challenges inspired me. “I think it stimulates us a little more and makes us look forward to it.”

“It seems like all the battles are in the first round of 2m33. It seems like the psychological battle is reflected there. The most important thing is who takes the lead. At the World Championships, the flow was taken away because we couldn’t get past the first round. So this time, we got through the first round. “You have to take the lead. I think leadership comes only when you run with that goal. So, in the Asian Games, I try to overcome all heights in the first period. I have to be fully prepared and focus on image training, etc. for the remaining time.”

“I won a silver medal at the Asian Games, so now I want to win a gold medal. Then I want to win an Olympic medal. The ultimate goal of every athlete is a Grand Slam (World Championships, Olympics, Asian Games), and I want to try it all. I want to compete in every competition and win my first title. “I want to have it and win a medal. I will run as hard as I can at the Asian Games. Even if I can’t, I think I will be able to win it someday if I keep trying. I will not give up until the end.”