Woo Sang-hyeok celebrates on Sept. 16 after winning the men's high jump final at the World Athletics' Rome/Florence Diamond League at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. (Woo's official Instagram account)

By Koh Hyunjeong

The nation's top male high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok is the first Korean to win a final of the Diamond League, an annual series of single-day competitions featuring the world's best in track and field.

He won the men's high jump on Sept. 16 by clearing 2.35 m at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. 

Woo secured the title by clearing this height on his third attempt.

Runner-up Norbert Kobielski of Poland cleared 2.33 m on his first attempt and third-place finisher Juvaughn Harrison did so on his third, but both failed to clear 2.35 m. This gave Woo his historic win.

World Athletics, track and field's global governing body, every year invites 10 distinguished athletes to the Diamond League, six of whom compete in the final.

Woo is the first Korean to both qualify for the league and win a final.

"I'm so happy to win the Diamond League Final," he told KBS in an interview after the tournament. "I'll fight to the end and do my best at the Hangzhou Asian Games." 

Woo returns home on Sept. 19 to train and flies to Hangzhou on Sept. 27. The preliminaries of his event at the Asiad, which starts on Sept. 23, begin on Oct. 2 and the finals are scheduled for Oct. 4.

hjkoh@korea.kr