Overcoming the Weakness of 'Jjakbal,' Woo Sang-hyeok: "Next is Gold... I Will Make More History"

On the 19th (Korean time), Woo Sang-hyeok won the silver medal in the men's high jump final at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA. He is seen celebrating wrapped in the Taegeukgi.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] Woo Sang-hyeok (26, Armed Forces Athletic Corps), Korea's top high jumper, has a relatively short height (188 cm) and a physical disadvantage of having uneven feet. However, through rigorous self-discipline, he improved his skills and became the protagonist who rewrote the history of Korean athletics.

On the 19th (Korean time), Woo Sang-hyeok cleared 2.35 meters in the men's high jump final at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, finishing in second place. This is his first major international medal in field events excluding long-distance events such as marathon and race walking.

Woo Sang-hyeok began high jumping in the 4th grade of elementary school. Yoon Jong-hyun, a former national team coach who has guided him since then, referred to him as having an "adverse body condition." This is because, due to the aftereffects of a traffic accident at age 8, his left foot (275 mm) is 1 cm longer than his right foot (265 mm). The lack of support from the right foot caused his shoulder center to collapse easily. Having equal upper and lower body proportions also worked as a disadvantage. In high jump, the taller the athlete, the longer the lower body, and the lighter the weight, the better the jumping lift. Barshim, who achieved the first-ever men's high jump three-peat in World Championships history, is 189 cm tall, 1 cm taller than Woo Sang-hyeok, but his lower body is about a fist longer than Woo's.

Woo Sang-hyeok focused on balance training. He worked hard to correct his right shoulder rotating quickly due to his right foot being pushed. His unique routine of twisting his left shoulder to the right before takeoff was born from this.

He also worked hard on weight loss. At one point, he tried to increase muscle mass to boost jumping power, raising his weight to 76 kg, but this led to injuries and a slump, which later became a valuable lesson. He failed to qualify for the 2019 World Championships as he did not meet the standard mark (2.30 m). However, after losing 10 kg, he made a comeback starting from the Tokyo Olympics last year, where he placed 4th. In this competition, he maintained 65-66 kg by eating rye bread and salads.

He said, "I like rice and spicy, salty food, so dieting is very difficult, but not achieving good results is even harder."

Known as the "Smile Jumper" for his smile that never fades in any situation, Woo Sang-hyeok smiled even when he missed the championship. He then made a vow: "The World Championships will be held again next year, and the Paris Olympics are in 2024. This is just the beginning. I will create a 'more historic day' by winning the gold medal."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.