'Smile Jumper' Woo Sang-hyeok (26) returned to Korea after completing all the schedules for the 2022 international competition.



Woo Sang-hyuk entered the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 4th.



Woo Sang-hyuk, who went on a European expedition on August 7th with a 'soldier status', was discharged on the 2nd and returned to Korea with a 'civilian status' on the same day.



After entering the arrival hall, Woo Sang-hyuk smiled brightly and said, "I am now a reservist," and then said, "It has already been a year and six months since I was discharged. I have a new feeling." "I have grown a lot during my military service and achieved good results. The championship, the 2024 Paris Olympics will be held. I want to prepare well and deliver good news to Korean fans.”



Woo Sang-hyuk has advanced his return schedule by five days.



Woo Sang-hyeok departed on August 7th and went through the Monaco Diamond League (August 11) and Lausanne Diamond League (August 27), then the schedule to participate in the 2022 World Athletics Federation Diamond League Final Series to be held in Zurich, Switzerland from the 8th to the 9th of this month. made a .



In the Monaco tournament, they played a 'jump off', which is an overtime match, and placed second behind Mutaz Essa Basim (31 Qatar).



Both Woo Sang-hyeok and Basim recorded 2m30, but Basim won the jump off.



In Lausanne, he was unable to adapt to the 'short jojo', so he tied for 8th with 2m15.



Woo Sang-hyeok, who has accumulated 16 points in the Diamond League ranking, was unfortunately frustrated from participating in the Final Series by one point behind Andri Prochenko (34, Ukraine), who ranked sixth with 17 points.



Only six players will compete in the men's high jump in the Diamond League Final Series.



Enlarging an image


Woo Sang-hyuk said, "It's all my fault that I didn't get good grades in Lausanne. I accept it humbly." "Everyone makes mistakes. I will use the Lausanne tournament as a foundation and prepare more thoroughly."



Although he failed to advance to the Final Series, Woo Sang-hyuk made several memorable scenes in Korean track and field history during his 1 year and 6 months of military service.



Woo Sang-hyeok, who jumped 2m31 and rode the last train to the final round of the Tokyo Olympics held last year, set a new Korean record of 2m35 at the 'Bon Stage' and placed 4th, the highest in Korean track and field history.



Even after that, 'Soldier Woo Sang-hyuk' raised the Taegeukgi high at the awards ceremony of major international competitions.



Winning the 2022 World Indoor Athletics Championships (March 20, Belgrade, Serbia), the 2022 Diamond League Opening Series Championship (May 14, Doha, Qatar), and 2nd place at the 2022 Outdoor World Athletics Championships, writing a new history in Korean athletics as a soldier I did.



After taking a short break, Woo Sang-hyuk plans to prepare for the national championship in October.



Also, he continues his training according to his 'long-term plan' for the 2024 Paris Olympics.



Woo Sang-hyeok said, "I've gained a lot of strength from Korean fans' support. I will prepare a national sports event and show a good image to domestic fans." He said, "I went to the Lausanne International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters. It was shown on the billboard. There are 692 days left for the Paris Olympics. It's not a long time. I want to achieve my goal (gold medal) by preparing systematically with coach Dokyun Kim."



(Photo = Yonhap News)