Will Woo Sang-hyuk (27, Yongin City Hall) be able to fulfill his “dream” of winning Korea’s first gold medal at the Games?
Woo will compete in the men’s high jump final at 8 p.m. on Thursday at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China.
After winning South Korea’s first silver medal in the men’s high jump (2.28 meters) in 16 years at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, all that remains is gold.
If he does, it will be the first gold medal for South Korea in 21 years since Busan 2002.
Woo is in peak physical condition.
From a fourth-place finish (2m35) at Tokyo 2020, the best ever by a South Korean athlete, to a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships (2m35) and a win at the 2023 World Athletics Federation Diamond League Final (2m35). 카지노사이트가이드
Following his recent international success, the Korean Athletics Federation (KAF) had him as one of its early favorites to win a gold medal in track and field.
Woo lived up to the hype, clearing 2m15 in the first round of Group B qualifying on February 2 to secure his place in the final.
He will have to overcome Mutaz Essa Barsim (32-Kat) on his way to gold. His biggest opponent and arguably the best jumper in the world, Barsim won back-to-back Asian Games titles at Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014, and hasn’t even competed in the Diamond League this time around as he looks to claim gold.
Barsim also qualified for the final with a jump of 2.19 meters. All eyes will be on Woo and Barsim as they face off against each other.
On the same day, the ‘filial’ sport of wrestling will also be in action.
In the men’s Greco-Roman 60kg, Jung Jeong-jae (Suwon City Hall), Ryu Hansu (Samsung Life), Kim Hyun-woo (Samsung Life), and Shin Byung-chul (Jeonbuk-do) will be in the hunt for medals at 11 a.m. at the Lin’an Sports and Cultural Exhibition Center in Hangzhou, China.
The wrestling team is aiming for two gold medals at the event and is determined to restore its pride as a wrestling powerhouse.