High Jumper Woo Sang-hyeok Wins 3rd Consecutive Asian Games Medal with 2.22m Bronze

South Korea's high jump star and "smile jumper" Woo Sang-hyeok (30, Yongin City Hall) has claimed the bronze medal in the men's high jump at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, securing a medal for the third consecutive Asian Games.

Woo won the bronze after clearing 2.22 meters in the men's high jump final held at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, today (27th).

It fell short of his personal best of 2.36 meters.

Having skipped 1.95m, 2.00m, and 2.05m, Woo successfully cleared 2.10m on his first attempt.

Despite heavy rain soaking the track at the stadium, Woo showed no hesitation and boldly began his challenge.

He missed 2.14m on his first attempt but cleanly cleared the bar on his second.

Woo cheered with his signature bright smile.

Six out of the 13 competitors were eliminated after failing to clear 2.14m, leaving a total of seven athletes, including Woo, to continue their battle for the podium.

Woo raised the bar to 2.18m and cleared it on his first attempt.

At 2.18m, two more athletes were eliminated, including Japan's Ryoichi Akamatsu, who holds a personal best of 2.31m.

Five surviving athletes, including Woo, continued the competition at 2.22m.

With a powerful leap, Woo cleared 2.22m on his first attempt and celebrated.

Sarvesh Anil Kushare (India) and Fu Chao-hsuan (Taiwan) also cleared 2.22m on their first attempts.

All other competitors failed.

Ultimately, Woo, Kushare, and Fu competed for the color of the medals at 2.25m.

Kushare, jumping first, failed on his initial attempt, and Woo also failed to clear the bar.

On the other hand, Fu narrowly succeeded on his first attempt.

His thighs brushed against the bar, but it stayed on the supports, making it a successful clearance.

Kushare cleared the height on his second attempt, while Woo failed on his second try.

Woo ultimately made a strategic move to raise the bar.

This was because even if he cleared the same height on his third attempt, he would rank third due to having more total attempts than his competitors.

Woo failed to clear 2.28m and wrapped up the competition in third place.

Subsequently, both Fu and Kushare also failed to clear 2.28m.

The gold medal went to Fu Chao-hsuan, who cleared the final mark of 2.25m on his first attempt, while the silver medal went to Kushare, who cleared 2.25m on his second attempt.

Woo finished 10th at the 2014 Incheon Games as a high school student, won the silver medal with a jump of 2.28m at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, and took silver again with 2.33m at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.

Meanwhile, many of the world's top-tier athletes were absent from this competition.

Defending champion and veteran Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar), who holds the Asian record (2.43m), was included in the entry list for the tournament but withdrew just before the event.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.