“I gave everything for the gold medal, but because of my injury, the disappointment is big. Still, I’ll be satisfied with today’s result only for today, and from tomorrow, I’ll push myself again.”

Despite his injury, he never stopped challenging himself; despite his disappointment, he never lost his smile. High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok, who continues to write new firsts in Korean track and field, added yet another milestone before pledging once more to focus on “tomorrow.”

On the night of September 16, at the men’s high jump final of this year’s World Athletics Championships at Tokyo National Stadium in Japan, Woo cleared 2.34 meters, finishing runner-up to last year’s Paris Olympic gold medalist Hamish Kerr of New Zealand, who managed 2.36 meters, and taking the silver medal.

Three years after becoming Korea’s first-ever silver medalist at a World Championships in Eugene in 2022, Woo added another silver, becoming the first Korean track and field athlete ever to earn multiple World Championships medals.

Back in 2011, at the Daegu World Championships, Kim Hyun-sub had earned Korea’s first-ever medal with bronze in the men’s 20-kilometer race walk. Woo has now followed in his footsteps, claiming the country’s second and third World Championships medals.

It was a thrilling match. In the final, Woo cleared 2.20 meters and 2.24 meters effortlessly on his first attempts, then succeeded at 2.28 meters and 2.31 meters on his second attempts. At 2.34 meters, after two failed tries, he muttered to himself, “You can do it, Sang-hyeok,” and cleared the bar on his third attempt. Kerr also cleared 2.34 meters on his third attempt, setting the stage for a head-to-head fight for the gold medal.

But while Kerr succeeded at 2.36 meters on his first attempt, Woo could not clear the bar. After failing once at 2.36 meters, Woo raised the bar to 2.38 meters in a last gamble, but knocked it down on both his second and third attempts, settling for second place.

Woo had won seven straight meets this year, three indoors and four outdoors. His streak, including four victories against Kerr earlier in the season, was broken, and the long-anticipated first World Championships gold slipped away. Still, he proved once again in Tokyo, where he had made his name by setting the Korean record of 2.35 meters and finishing fourth at the 2021 Olympics, that he remains among the world’s elite jumpers.

In August, Woo had suffered a calf fascia injury, forcing him to skip the Heilbronn meet in Germany and the Diamond League Final in order to focus on rehabilitation and prepare for the World Championships. “I devoted two weeks entirely to treatment, and after doctors told me I was within the normal range, I resumed training,” Woo said. “This experience became a lesson in taking meticulous care of my body.”

By winning silver at the Tokyo World Championships, Woo will receive prize money totaling 98 million won from World Athletics and the Korea Association of Athletics Federations. This year alone, Woo has competed in eight international meets, winning seven and finishing second once. His publicly reported prize money this year exceeds 240 million won. Woo will return home on the afternoon of the 18th.