‘Smile Jumper’ Woo Sang-hyuk (27-Yongin City Hall) won his second international title of the year. After warming up with two wins and a runner-up finish in three indoor competitions, Woo will now set his sights on his ‘indoor season goal’ of winning back-to-back World Indoor Championships titles. Woo soared to the top of the men’s high jump competition at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Nehvizdí 2024 in Nehvizdí, Czech Republic, on Jan. 21 (KST), clearing 2.30 meters. Considering Woo’s personal bests (2.35 meters outdoors and 2.36 meters indoors), it was not a satisfactory performance, but the fact that the sports hall where the Nehvizdi meeting was held is known as a “place where records are not often made” should help ease the disappointment .On the day, Woo set a new ‘competition record’ of 2.27 meters, three centimeters better than the previous mark of 2.27 meters set by Thomas Carmoy (23-Belgium) in 2021. The competition started at 2.04m, but Woo skipped 2.04m, 2.09m and 2.14m before making his first jump at 2.18m.
Woo cleared 2.18 meters in the first period. The 2.25m25 touched the bar in the first and second periods, but was successful in the third period. Woo’s clearance of 2.25 meters sealed his victory over Edgar Rivera (33-MEX). Rivera’s mark was 2.22 meters. Afterward, Woo performed as if he was training for the World Indoor Championships. After failing to clear 2.30 meters in the first and second rounds, Woo had a brief conversation with Yongin City Hall head coach Kim Do-gyun and then went back to work, clearing the bar in the third round to set a new meet record. Woo, who cleared 2.34 meters, did not attempt a third attempt after missing the bar in the first and second attempts.
Woo also performed “fan service,” high-fiving fans who reached out to her. Woo competed in her first event of the season on Feb. 11 at the Hustopece Indoor Championships in the Czech Republic, where she finished second with a height of 2.33 meters. Shelby McCuean (USA, 27), the top-ranked athlete at the time, also cleared 2 meters (33 feet) and had the same third attempt at 2 meters (33 feet).However, Woo’s 2.31m31 was achieved in the second period, while McCuen’s was in the first period. On the 14th, at the Banská Bystrica Indoor Championships in Slovakia, Woo cleared 2.32 meters to win his first title of the year.In his third competition of the year, Woo was not satisfied with his performance, but he again cleared 2.30 meters and stood on the top step of the podium. As of the 21st, Woo is tied for first place on the world indoor season record list for 2024 (2.33m).McCuean, Danil Lysenko (RUS) and Woo are the only three jumpers to have cleared 2.33 meters this year.
Only Woo has jumped over 2.30 meters three times .After three successful trials in February, Woo will wear the ‘Defending Champion’ armband as he heads to Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. At the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Woo cleared 2.34 meters to win the first major gold medal in South Korean track and field history. The 2024 World Indoor Championships will be held March 1-3 in Glasgow .Woo will attempt to win his second consecutive title in the men’s high jump final on March 3 at 8:50 p.m. ET. For Woo, the Glasgow World Indoor Championships are also a test of his ability to win a medal at the Paris Olympics. “I competed in three competitions in the last 10 days to check my deficiencies and areas for improvement,” Woo said through the Korean Athletics Federation, adding, “I will do my best to do better at the 토토사이트 Paris Olympics and become the first Korean track and field athlete to win an Olympic medal.”