"Straight to the Final Without Qualifying"... Woo Sang-hyeok Goes for His First Asian Games Gold [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] South Korean men's high jump star Woo Sang-hyeok of Yongin City Hall will skip qualifying and go straight to the final at the 2026 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya.
On the 23rd, the organizing committee notified all delegations that qualifying rounds for some athletics field events, including the men's high jump, would be canceled.
As a result, Woo will skip the qualifying round scheduled for the 24th and go straight to the final on the 27th, where he will compete for a medal. Sixteen athletes were initially entered in the high jump, but the field for the actual final could be smaller following the cancellation of qualifying.
Woo is aiming for the first Asian Games gold medal of his career. He previously competed at the Asian Games Incheon 2014, the 2018 Asian Games Jakarta-Palembang and the most recent Hangzhou Asian Games, winning two silver medals.
In the final, Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Sarvesh Anil Kushare of India are regarded as among the leading contenders for the gold medal.


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