Woo targets Tokyo World Championships after fifth win

Woo Sang-hyeok, who set out this year to win the World Athletics Indoor Championships, the Asian Championship, and the World Athletics Championships, is now one step away from achieving his goal. A victory at the upcoming world championships in Tokyo this September would complete his sweep.

Woo continued his strong form with five consecutive international victories this year. In March, he cleared 2.31 meters to win the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.

Despite facing poor conditions due to a weather delay in the finals, Woo cleared each height from 2.15 to 2.29 meters on his first try. He became the first athlete in 30 years to win back-to-back titles at the Asian Championship, following Lee Jin-taek’s three straight wins. Woo, who also took the title in 2017, now shares the record for most Asian Championship titles in the men’s high jump with Lee.

“Because the competition was held in Korea, I wanted to perform with even more energy,” Woo said. “I’m happy to have won at home.”

Following this victory, Woo will travel to Rome on Tuesday to compete in the World Athletics Diamond League. The event serves as a key test ahead of the Tokyo championships. In Rome, he will go up against New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr, the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist, and Ukraine’s Oleh Doroshchuk, who holds this season’s top mark of 2.34 meters.


조영우 jero@donga.com