The Trophy is Heavy, But I Wear a Flower Necklace and Wear it in Full Bloom… ‘Smile Jumper’ Woo Sang-hyeok
“Competing with Barsim at the Hangzhou Asian Games… I will take the lead.”
“The trophy is really heavy. Haha.”
‘Smile Jumper’ Woo Sang-hyeok (27, Yongin City Hall), the first Korean to win
the World Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League Final, made a golden return.
Woo Sang-hyeok returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 19th.
When the door to the arrival hall opened, Woo Sang-hyeok,
with his hair trimmed short and wearing a white uniform with the Taegeuk symbol on his left chest,
smiled brightly as he walked out in front of about 100 people,
including reporters and Korean Athletics Federation officials,
who had been waiting for him despite the 11-hour flight. 온라인카지노사이트
Federation officials greeted Woo Sang-hyeok with applause and cheers,
Korea Athletics Federation President Yuk Hyeon-pyo and Vice President Baek Ok-ja
hugged Woo Sang-hyeok and encouraged him.
Woo Sang-hyeok, wearing a flower necklace around his neck,
held up the diamond-shaped trophy with one hand.
Woo Sang-hyeok, who held up the trophy, smiled brightly and said,
“The trophy is a lot heavier than I thought.
I think it’s 7 to 8 kg.”
Woo Sang-hyeok surpassed 2m35 and reached the top in the men’s high jump competition
at the 2023 World Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League Final
held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA on the 17th (Korean time).
The Diamond League Final is the competition that track and field athletes consider to be the second most important event after the Olympics and World Championships.
Woo Sang-hyeok became the first Korean player to advance
to the Diamond League Finals and even won the championship trophy.
Woo Sang-hyeok said, “Diamond League is a competition I’ve always dreamed of since I was young,
watching YouTube in the early morning.
I even imagined, ‘Is that possible?'” and “It was a competition I just wanted to run in,
I couldn’t even imagine winning, but it was a dream I had as a child.
“I feel like I’ve achieved one more thing,” he said, thrilled.
Woo Sang-hyeok, who did not expect to win, said, “I just wanted to win.
I have gained more courage, and I will go out in good spirits at the Asian Games that are right in front of me.”
Woo Sang-hyeok said, “I entered boldly from the first round,
it felt good, and I passed the third round as soon as I ran.”
He added, “I confirmed the win (since other players failed),
I joined the national team with Kim Do-gyun with the intention of challenging
the best record at the Asian Games.
“After consulting with my coach, I did not attempt a higher record,” he said.
Woo Sang-hyeok, who stayed abroad for the past month and a half and participated in five competitions,
said, “I didn’t eat Korean food at all, and only watched it on mukbang
It was a taste I knew, so I felt like I wanted to eat more.”
He added, “Management of weight is also important, so I only thought about the competition.
“I think I endured it for a month and a half,” he said, explaining the difficult training process.
Woo Sang-hyeok shook off the disappointment of only finishing 6th (2m 29)
at the Budapest World Championships by winning the Diamond League Final trophy.
Woo Sang-hyeok explained the secret to getting to the top in the Diamond Final,
saying, “I think I placed 6th at the World Championships because of the pressure,” and “After that, I felt more at ease and found things to improve on.”
At the same time, he said, “Athletes’ records fluctuate by 2 to 3 cm due to the pressure of small differences,
but I think I was able to jump 2m35 by continuing to prepare systematically and receiving feedback from 30 challenges.”
He added, “I surpassed it only once out of dozens of challenges.
“This experience will lead to positive energy in the next game,” he said.
Woo Sang-hyeok not only lifted the diamond-shaped trophy,
but also passed the standard record for the 2024 Paris Olympics,
effectively confirming his participation in the Olympics.
Woo Sang-hyeok, who said that winning the Diamond League Final was one of his bucket list items,
said, “I won a silver medal in the last Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang,
so now I want to win a gold medal and have an Olympic medal around my neck.”
He went on to express his motivation, saying, “The ultimate goal of an athlete is the Grand Slam,
I want to go to every competition and win the first title and win a medal.”
Woo Sang-hyeok, who will compete in the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games,
said with a smile, “They say it’s hard to adjust to jet lag,
but it’s not that hard for me,” and then added, “I’ll do my best until the end.”
Woo Sang-hyeok, who is about to compete against ‘active best’ Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar),
who did not participate in this year’s finals, in the Asian Games,
said, “I think the key is whether or not I can overcome 2m33 in the first period.
I think the psychological battle begins from there.
“He declared, “In the confrontation with Barsim, we will take the lead from the first period.”
Woo Sang-hyeok, who attended the ‘Champion Ceremony’ with world-class track and field stars the day before,
said, “Many athletes, including Armand Duplantis (23, Sweden),
who re-wrote the pole vault world record this time, said ‘Congratulations, it was a great jump.’
“I did it,” he said later.