Woo Haram finishes 11th in men's 3m springboard diving

Woo Haram of South Korea competes in the 3m springboard final at the Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, France, Aug. 8. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Woo Haram ended up well off the podium in the men's 3-meter springboard diving event at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.

Woo scored 374.15 points to finish in 11th place among the 12 finalists at the Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.

This was Woo's second straight appearance in the 3m springboard final. He had finished fourth in Tokyo in 2021, the best Olympic performance by a South Korean diver, but did not come close to topping that Thursday.

He was in 11th place after three dives. Woo then posted the fifth-best score in the fourth round with 73.50 points, but it only improved his overall position by one spot to 10th.

He rose to ninth after scoring 63.00 points with his fifth dive, but fell two spots at the finish when his sixth and final dive only netted him 52.65 points, the second-lowest score in the round.

Woo said he couldn't stop crying immediately after his Olympics ended. He had gathered himself by the time he met with reporters.

"I've never cried after any competition before," Woo said. "After the third dive, I was so far behind the leaders that I couldn't even think of going for a medal. Be it my final score or the ranking position, it's all very disappointing. My goal wasn't just to reach the final here. I am not satisfied with this."

Woo has been plagued by nagging lower back issues in recent years but he refused to use that as a crutch.

"I don't think my injury led to a result like this. I don't want to make any excuses," Woo said. "Other divers have been battling injuries to prepare for the Olympics, too. I just wasn't good enough."

The 26-year-old said he will take at least another crack at winning his first Olympic medal, which would also be South Korea's first medal in diving.

"As long as I am active, I will try to qualify for the Olympics," he said. "I'd love to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and also the 2032 Brisbane Olympics."

Woo said he wants to use the sense of disappointment he felt Thursday as motivation.

"I will try to get better physically and technically," Woo said. "I felt my techniques were lacking, and if I can address that, I believe I can get back on my feet." (Yonhap)