Woo Sang-hyeok takes No. 1 spot on high jump world ranking

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Published: 31 Jul. 2022, 15:42

Woo Sang-hyeok takes No. 1 spot on high jump world ranking

Woo Sang-hyeok of Korea poses for photographers after finishing second in the final of the men's high jump at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon on July 18. [EPA/YONHAP]

Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has risen to the top of the official world rankings after winning Korea's first-ever silver medal at the World Athletics Championships on July 18.

Woo is now the first Korean track and field athlete to top the world ranking in any discipline sanctioned by World Athletics.

Woo climbed up from his previous second position to No. 1 on July 26. He currently has 1,388 points, followed by Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy with 1,377 points and Andriy Protsenko of Ukraine with 1,332.

Woo's top position comes after he took silver at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon after clearing a height of 2.35 meters.

At the World Championships, Woo entered the final after having cleared every height in one attempt during his qualification run the previous week, putting him in first in the order for the final round on July 18.

During the finals, after clearing his first four jumps on the first attempt, Woo took three attempts to clear 2.33 meters and two attempts to clear 2.35 meters. He was one of only two athletes to clear 2.35 meters, at the time the world-leading height for the 2022 season, alongside Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar.

2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Barshim went on to clear 2.37 meters, the new world-leading height for the season, to take gold. Woo took one failed attempt at 2.37 meters before opting to move straight on to 2.39 meters. He failed both attempts at the higher jump to settle for silver, becoming the first Korean to win a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships and Korea's second medalist ever.

Speed walker Kim Hyun-sub took bronze in the 20-kilometer race at 2011 World Athletics Championships, which were held on home turf in Daegu. Kim finished sixth in the race on the day, but moved up to third after three other athletes failed doping tests.

Woo Sang-hyeok of Korea competes in the final of the men's high jump at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon on July 18.[XINHUA/YONHAP]

Woo has been making new strides for Korean athletics after finishing in fourth place at the Tokyo Summer Olympics last year.

Woo is a two-time Olympian, having competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Tokyo Olympics. Back in 2016, Woo only managed to clear the bar at 2.26 meters, failing to reach the final. In Tokyo, Woo advanced to the final, the first Korean to do so since the 1996 Atlanta Games, where Lee finished eighth. Woo finished fourth in Tokyo, narrowly missing out on a medal.

Then in March, Woo won gold at the 2022 World Indoor Championships with a height of 2.34 meters, and in May he became the first Korean ever to win a World Athletics Diamond League title.

The Diamond League is the top tier of World Athletics competition, with 13 events held throughout the year. The tournaments are invitational, with only elite athletes invited to compete. Woo beat stiff competition — including from Barshim — and strong winds to take the title with a height of 2.33 meters.

Woo currently holds the Korean record of 2.35 meters, which he set at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and matched in Oregon in July 18. He broke the long-standing Korean record of 2.34 meters, set on June 20, 1997 by Lee Jin-taek.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]