The nation’s top male high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has leaped to No. 1 in the world rankings.
World Athletics, the global governing body of athletics, released its rankings as of Sept. 13 and put Woo at the top. He had become the first Korean to be No. 1 in his sport on July 26 and retained this place on the latest list.
Yonhap News on Sept. 21 said Woo is expected to stay on top until the end of the year as no more major international competitions are scheduled.
World Athletics bases its list on player records and world ranking points.
Clearing 2.36 m on Feb. 6 at the Czech Hustopece Indoor Championships, the highest of the 2022 season, Woo lost his top spot to Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim, who won the gold by clearing 2.37 m at this year’s World Athletics Championships. But the Korean stayed No. 1 in the rankings, which is based on points earned from competitions.
World Athletics calculates its rankings based on records and finishes at tournaments held over the last 12 months, placing greater weight on major international competitions such as the world championships and the Olympics.
The global rankings of the men’s high jump are based on the average score of the five competitions in which a competitor has scored the highest.
Woo scored an average of 1,405 points over his last five meets: the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (second with 2.35 m, 1,534); World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia (first with 2.34 m, 1,415), the opening competition of the 2022 Diamond League in Doha, Qatar (first with 2.33 m, 1,406), Monaco Diamond League (second with 2.30 m, 1,349) and World Athletics Indoor Tour in Banska Bystrica, Slovaki, (first with 2.35 m, 1,324).
“I am deeply moved to have reached the Olympic finals by finishing 31st in ranking points at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics and end this year as the world No. 1,” Woo said in a phone interview with Yonhap. “I did my best in every moment by never forgetting June 2021, which was a turning point in my life. I think this brought about the result.”
Last year on June 29, Woo saw his best finish in four years by advancing to the finals of the Tokyo Olympics, placing 31st in ranking points. Thirty-two competitors made it to the finals.
He finished fourth with a jump of 2.35 m.
This year, Woo along with Barshim have been the world’s top two competitors in their event.
He is the first Korean to win a gold medal at the world indoor championships and a silver at the world outdoor championships.
Source: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism