(LEAD) (Olympics) Woo Haram finishes 4th in 3m springboard diving, best Olympic performance for S. Korea

All News 17:35 August 03, 2021

(ATTN: ADDS details, comments in paras 5-7, 9)
By Yoo Jee-ho

TOKYO, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- Woo Haram finished fourth in the men's 3m springboard diving event at the Tokyo Olympics Tuesday, the best Olympic result by a South Korean diver.

Woo earned 481.85 points from his six dives in the final at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in the Japanese capital.

Xie Siyi of China ran away with the gold medal with 558.75 points, followed by compatriot Wang Zongyuan with 534.90 points. Jack Laugher of Britain scored 518 points for the bronze.

Woo Haram of South Korea performs during the final of the men's 3m springboard diving event at the Tokyo Olympics at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on Aug. 3, 2021. (Yonhap)

Woo snuck into the final as the 12th and last qualifier from the semifinals earlier in the day. Woo was only about five points ahead of the 13th-ranked diver, Jonathan Ruvalcaba of the Dominican Republic.

The 23-year-old performed much better in the final. He was in fifth place after two dives. He scored 91.20 points with his third dive -- the highest score in the third dives for all finalists -- to move up to fourth place. At that point, Woo was only 3.05 points behind Laugher for the bronze medal position.

Woo Haram of South Korea reacts to a dive during the final of the men's 3m springboard diving event at the Tokyo Olympics at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on Aug. 3, 2021. (Yonhap)

After four dives, Woo remained in fourth and 1.80 points behind Laugher.

But with his fifth dive, Woo only earned 68.40 points, tied for seventh among the finalists on fifth dives. Woo remained in fourth overall, but Laugher pulled ahead with 96.90 points with his fifth dive. Woo's gap with the leader, Xie, grew from 30.25 points to 56.20 points.

Woo finished his final strong with 81.90 points in his last dive, but it wasn't nearly enough to get him into a medal position.

"I was doing well through my first four dives, and I am a bit disappointed with that mistake with the fifth dive," Woo said. "Though I didn't win a medal, I am not too upset. In my heart of hearts, I know how hard I've worked for this. That's why I've been getting better and better. "

In diving, the two highest and the two lowest scores from seven judges are taken out, and the sum of the remaining scores is multiplied by the degree of difficulty.

At the 2016 Olympics, Woo made the final in the 10m platform and finished in 11th. He was the first South Korean diver to reach an Olympic final.