High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok halts European tour due to calf injury, to focus on worlds
Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport, July 13, after returning from winning a Diamond League title in Monaco. Yonhap
High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has ended his scheduled European tour prematurely due to some calf discomfort and will instead focus on preparing for the world championships next month, officials said Tuesday.
Woo, world No. 1 in the men's high jump, was set to compete in a high jump meet in Heilbronn, Germany, on Sunday, but did not participate in it after being introduced to the crowd.
According to an official with the Korea Association of Athletics Federations, Woo felt some discomfort in his calf during warmup and pulled out of the German event as a precaution.
The official said Woo has also pulled out of the next two competitions in Europe — a Diamond League stop in Poland this week and the Diamond League Final in Switzerland at the end of August.
Woo is due back home Wednesday and will undergo tests to determine the extent of his injury.
Woo has won all seven of his international events this season, including the world indoor title and two Diamond League victories. Woo likely would have qualified for the Diamond League Final, which is open to the top six in the points standings, but he has chosen to skip the upcoming events with his eye on the biggest competition this season — the world championships in Tokyo in September.
For the men's high jump, the preliminaries are set for Sept. 14, followed by the final two days later.
Woo won silver at the 2022 worlds in the United States. It remains the best performance by any South Korean athlete at a world championship.
Woo has won an indoor world title before and will be going for his first outdoor world title this fall.
Woo climbed to the top of the men's high jump world rankings in July. He sits atop the standings with 1,389 points accumulated from his performances, 21 points ahead of Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine, the reigning European indoor champion.