South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok left the main Olympic stadium Wednesday feeling great about himself, after pulling off "my best jump of the year so far" in the qualification. And Woo is confident he has more to give when the final rolls around Saturday evening at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. Woo eased into the final after tying for third in the qualification at 2.27 meters. The top 12 out of 31 jumpers booked their places in the final. Woo, who has been one of the world's top high jumpers in the past three years since finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, will be a legitimate medal threat. "I think I showed 50 percent of what I've worked on over the past three years," Woo said. "Since this is the Olympics, I wanted to treat the qualification like the final. I am really pleased that I did so well here today. But I am only going to celebrate a bit today and start preparing for the final tomorrow." Woo said the track at Stade de Frace suited him perfectly and added, "I was happy with every jump." "But I will save my best jump yet for the final," Woo said. "I had an easier time in the qualification than I thought I would." Woo will now go for South Korea's first medal at a track and field event. Both of the country's two medals so far in athletics have come from marathon, a road race. "While I am at it, I want to climb to the top of the podium," Woo said. "I want to hear our national anthem." Woo holds the national record of 2.36m. At the Tokyo Games, he jumped over the then national record mark of 2.35m but still missed the podium -- the first time in 33 years that a male high jumper failed to win a medal after clearing 2.35m. He has since gone on to win medals at world outdoor and indoor championships, with the 2023 Diamond League Final title being one of his crowning achievements. Woo can make even more history this weekend in France. "I was so honored to compete in front of so many people," Woo said of a crowd of nearly 80,000. The Tokyo Games were held without spectators. "I felt proud to represent South Korea as an athlete here. And in the final, I will try to make my country proud." Source: Yonhap News Agency

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok left the main Olympic stadium Wednesday feeling great about himself, after pulling off "my best jump of the year so far" in the qualification. And Woo is confident he has more to give when the final rolls around Saturday evening at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. Woo eased into the final after tying for third in the qualification at 2.27 meters. The top 12 out of 31 jumpers booked their places in the final. Woo, who has been one of the world's top high jumpers in the past three years since finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, will be a legitimate medal threat. "I think I showed 50 percent of what I've worked on over the past three years," Woo said. "Since this is the Olympics, I wanted to treat the qualification like the final. I am really pleased that I did so well here today. But I am only going to celebrate a bit today and start preparing for the final tomorrow." Woo said the track at Stade de Frace suited him perfectly and added, "I was happy with every jump." "But I will save my best jump yet for the final," Woo said. "I had an easier time in the qualification than I thought I would." Woo will now go for South Korea's first medal at a track and field event. Both of the country's two medals so far in athletics have come from marathon, a road race. "While I am at it, I want to climb to the top of the podium," Woo said. "I want to hear our national anthem." Woo holds the national record of 2.36m. At the Tokyo Games, he jumped over the then national record mark of 2.35m but still missed the podium -- the first time in 33 years that a male high jumper failed to win a medal after clearing 2.35m. He has since gone on to win medals at world outdoor and indoor championships, with the 2023 Diamond League Final title being one of his crowning achievements. Woo can make even more history this weekend in France. "I was so honored to compete in front of so many people," Woo said of a crowd of nearly 80,000. The Tokyo Games were held without spectators. "I felt proud to represent South Korea as an athlete here. And in the final, I will try to make my country proud." Source: Yonhap News Agency