Barsim wins silver in Hangzhou AG 2m33, gold in 2m35
“Varshim, it’s an honor to compete against athletes who are more competitive than me”
“I’m happy to be able to do a fun high jump.”
Woo Sang-hyuk
(27-Yongin City Hall) was denied gold by the ‘world’s strongest’ Mutaz Essa Barsim (32-Qatar), but the ‘Smile Jumper’ was all smiles.
Woo won the silver medal in the men’s high jump final with a clearance of 2.33m at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on
Thursday at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Main Stadium in Hangzhou, China. It was his second consecutive silver
medal after winning at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.
Gold went to Barsim, who soared 2.35 meters.
“Since I came here, I focused on clearing 2m33 in the first round, and I thought I would try to go beyond 2m37 to get a
personal best,” said Woo, who added: “Unfortunately, I have the Paris Olympics next year. I need to prepare well,” he said of his silver medal.
“I had a good competition with Barsim, it was very fun and interesting, and I’m happy that I was able to do a fun high jump,” he laughed.
Barshim proved to be Woo’s toughest competition.
“I don’t think Vassim is a big mountain,”
Woo said before the competition. I’ve never thought of it that way before because when you put your mind to it, it feels
like a really big mountain,” he emphasized.
The presence of Barshim was something that Woo had to overcome in order to reach the top of the podium.
Barshim is the reigning world champion, having won three consecutive world titles from London 2017 to Doha 2019 and
Eugene 2022. At last year’s World Championships in Eugene, 카지노사이트랭크 he cleared 2.37m to settle for silver with Woo’s 2.35m.
He won gold at Tokyo 2020, as well as podium finishes in Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014. He was at his best in his first Asian Games in nine years.
After winning the Diamond League Final without Barsim, Woo said, “I rarely took the initiative against Barsim. At the Asian
Games, I will make sure that I can take the initiative against him.”
But once again, Varsim’s walls were high.
After passing 2m and 2m10, Woo made his first jump at 2m15 and easily cleared 2m19. From 2m23, he pushed himself
harder, encouraging the crowd to clap, and he also succeeded on his first attempt. After clearing 2m26 and 2m29, Woo
shouted “let’s go” ahead of 2m31 and roared with both fists pumping as he cleared the bar on his first attempt.
Woo’s challenge was blocked at 2m35, his season’s best. His legs touched the bar on his first attempt, marking his first failure of the day.
After Barsim
Who started at 2m19, cleared 2m35 in one attempt, Woo raised the bar to try for 2m37. However, Woo failed to clear the
bar on his first attempt and was caught on the bar on his second attempt.
Moments after missing out on gold, Woo jumped to his feet and clapped his hands above his head to get the crowd
going, before shaking hands and hugging Barshim to congratulate the winner on his hard-fought victory.
“I think Barsim must have been very conscious of me because I was the first runner and kept jumping over him,” laughed
Woo, “but we were able to jump over him because of our synergy. I think we both crossed the barrier in the first round
while competing and raising our motivation. I should have cleared 2m35 in the first round, but unfortunately I didn’t,” he said.
“Hopefully, I can go on to clear 2m37, but that’s a mountain to climb for me. I’m going to do it before the Paris Olympics,” he emphasized.
Even though he didn’t win the race against Barshim, this moment is priceless for Woo.
“I only came here to win the gold medal and to compete with Barshim. If I think about anything else, it won’t be mine, so I tried to compete with Varsim without regrets, so I was able to compete with him at the final height,” he admits.
“It’s a glorious moment in a way.
“When I was younger, I thought, ‘I wonder if I’ll ever be at the same height as him’. Now, I’m honored to be able to compete at the same height every time,” he said.
For Woo
Having a competitor with such a high level of skill is what pushes him to reach even greater heights.
“I think Varshim is a player who can make me more competitive. I’m excited and looking forward to competing with someone who can compete with me in good faith, so I’m sure I’ll get better.” 섯다
