Woo Sang-hyuk finishes third in Zurich to become the first Korean to compete in the Diamond League final.
‘Smile Jumper’ Woo Sang-hyuk (27-Yongin City Hall) has become the first Korean athlete to reach the Diamond League Final.
Woo cleared 2.31 meters to finish third in the men’s high jump at the World Athletics Zurich Diamond League 2023 at the Retzigrund Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday (July 1).
Woo added six Diamond League ranking points to his total of 20, which puts him in fourth place for the 2023 season and gives him a ticket to the finals, where the top six spots are up for grabs.
The Diamond League, which features world-class players, hosts a total of 14 tournaments a year.
Ranking points accumulated from 13 of these events are used to determine the ‘winner’ of the 14th Final, which is the ‘championship’ event.
This year’s Diamond League Finals will take place on September 16 and 17 in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
The first through eighth place finishers in each event receive 8 to 1 points, with the top six finishers in the men’s high jump qualifying for the Diamond League Final.
There are six individual Diamond League 2023 events organized for the men’s high jump: Doha, Rome-Pirence, Stockholm, Silesia, London and Zurich.
Woo competed in four of them. His second-place finishes in Doha (2.27m) and Rome-Pirenze (2.30m) earned him seven points each, but he did not record a time in Stockholm, so he was unable to add any Diamond League points.
She earned six points in Zurich, her final individual competition, to qualify for the final.
After falling one point short last year and finishing seventh, Woo made it to the final with ease this year.
He also shook off the disappointment of finishing sixth (2.29m) at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 on March 23.
In the 10-man field in Zurich, Woo cleared 2.15, 2.20 and 2.24 in the first round. He was the only jumper not to fail at 2.24 meters.
At 2.28 meters, he was in trouble after failing the first and second periods.
However, Woo roared after clearing 2.28 meters in the third period.
At 2.31 meters, Woo touched the bar in the first and second periods, but succeeded in the third period. Woo buried his face in the mat and celebrated.
After failing to clear 2.33 meters in the first round, Woo raised the bar to 2.35 meters after Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) and Hamish Kerr (New Zealand) cleared that height in the first round.
After three consecutive high jump failures, an athlete’s competition is over.
Woo had two attempts at 2.35 meters, but both failed and he finished in third place. After a moment of disappointment, Woo waved his arms to the crowd and chatted with his competitors.
Barshim cleared 2.35 meters to take first place and enter the final with the highest ranking points (29).
Kerr cleared 2.33 meters, a New Zealand record, to take second place in Zurich and earn 24 points to advance to the final in third place overall.
Jubon Harrison (USA), who did not compete at the event, also has 24 ranking points, but the three-time individual world champion is ranked higher (second) than Kerr.
Woo, Sang-hyuk Woo and other athletes who competed with him celebrated by giving Barsim a rinse.
Jean-Marco Tamberi (ITA), who won the World Championships in Budapest after clearing 2.36m, finished fourth here at 2.28m.
Last year’s Diamond League Final winner, Tamberi earned 15 Diamond Ranking points and fifth place to qualify for the 2023 Final.
Thomas Carmoy (15 points-Belgium) rounded out the finalists in sixth place.
The Diamond League crowns its final champion based solely on the results of the Final match.
The winner will receive the Diamond League’s trophy and $30,000 (approximately $40,000) in prize money.
Woo will fly to the United States in two days to begin preparations for the Diamond League Finals.
It’s also time to start preparing for the Hangzhou Asian Games. The men’s high jump final will be held on October 4.
“From now on, we will prepare for the Asian Games in earnest,” said Woo and national coach Kim Do-gyun. 먹튀검증토토사이트 “We will work on the problems we found in recent competitions such as the World Championships.”
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