High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok skips Diamond League event, sets sights on world championships

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- In-form high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has pulled out of an upcoming international event in England to concentrate on his preparation for the world championships in July, South Korea's athletics governing body said Tuesday.

The Korea Association of Athletics Federations (KAAF) said Woo will skip the second leg of the World Athletics (WA) Diamond League, scheduled in Birmingham, England, on Saturday. It would have been Woo's second consecutive Diamond League appearance, following his first career Diamond League title in Doha last Saturday.

Established in 2010, the Diamond League is an annual series of top-tier, one-day competitions organized by the WA, the international track and field governing body.

With the change of schedule, Woo will arrive back home on Thursday, the KAAF added.

In the Qatari capital, Woo won the men's high jump title by clearing 2.33 meters, becoming the first South Korean athlete to win a Diamond League gold medal in any discipline. In March, Woo won the world indoor title by jumping over 2.34 meters.

Those winning heights are also the top outdoor and indoor marks of the 2022 season.

Woo left for the United States last December to begin training for 2022. He began the new year by competing in indoor events in Europe, and later won a couple of outdoor meets in South Korea in April and May before taking that historic Diamond League title in Doha.

This year's World Athletics Championships will open in Eugene, Oregon, on July 15. He will try to become the first South Korean to win a gold medal at the biennial competition.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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