"Smile Jumper" Woo Sang-hyuk wins his first medal of the season... Third place but successfully secured a ticket to the World Indoor Championships in March

*This content was translated by AI.

Woo Sang-hyuk (30, Yongin City Hall), the flagship "Smile Jumper" of the Korean high jump, announced a fresh start by winning a bronze medal at the first international competition in 2026. Above all, it is even more meaningful to secure a ticket to the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in March.

Woo Sang-hyuk ranked third in the World Athletics Federation Indoor Tour Van Scavistritza Indoor Jumping Track and Field Competition held in Van Scavistritza, Slovakia, on the 25th (Korea time).

As a result, Woo Sang-hyuk passed the men's high jump standard of 2m 30 at the 2026 World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Pomorsky, Poland, in mid-March to qualify for the finals.

The victory went to Jan Stefela (Czech Republic), who crossed the 2m 32nd. Woo Sang-hyuk recorded 2m 30 like Japan's Tomohiro Shino, but finished the competition in third place, falling behind the difference in timing (number of failures) at the previous height. Woo Sang-hyuk then tried to come from behind by challenging 2m 32 but unfortunately failed to cross the bar.

The anti-scavistritsar competition is like a promised land for Woo Sang-hyuk. Starting in 2022, it has reached the top of the tournament in 2024, and 2025. Although he failed to win for the fourth time in the tournament, it is evaluated that he successfully improved his sense of practice at the beginning of the season.

Woo Sang-hyuk said through the Korea Athletics Federation, "I focused on finding my senses in the second tournament in 2026, and I'm satisfied with recording 2m 30. I will try to make up for the shortcomings of the World Indoor Championships, one of the main goals of this year, and show better performance," he said.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.