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High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok qualifies for final at world championships

Published: 15 Sep. 2025, 10:53

Korea's Woo Sang-hyeok makes an attempt in the men's high jump qualification at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sept. 14. [AP/YONHAP]

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok cruised into the final of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday, with a chance to make history looming in two days.

Woo ranked third in the qualification phase with 2.25 meters (7.38 feet) at the National Stadium in the Japanese capital.

In Tuesday's final, Woo will try to become the first Korean to win a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships. He grabbed silver in 2022.

Woo won the world indoor title in March this year and will try to become only the second male high jumper, after Javier Sotomayor in 1993, to win both the world indoor and outdoor titles in the same year.

Woo, who has won seven international titles this season, was competing for the first time since July, after skipping more recent events due to a right calf injury. He cleared the bar set at 2.16 meters in two attempts, and then needed one attempt each to go over 2.21 meters and 2.25 meters.

Of the 35 jumpers who entered the qualification round, the top 13 who went over 2.25 meters or higher advanced to the final.

Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine and Ryoichi Akamatsu of Japan tied for first place in the qualification phase by clearing 2.25 meters in one attempt each.

Hamish Kerr of New Zealand, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist, tied for fifth after needing two attempts to clear 2.25 meters.

Mutaz Essa Barshim, a three-time champion from Qatar, is skipping this event due to a foot injury. The 2023 world champion from Italy, Gianmarco Tamberi, missed the final after only jumping over 2.16 meters.

Yonhap