High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok stands tall on podium with world championship silver

Twenty-four hours after setting a South Korean athletics record with his world championship silver medal, high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok created another piece of history. Woo was feted with two other medalists during the official medal ceremony of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Tuesday (local time). On Monday, Woo grabbed silver by clearing 2.35 meters. It was the best performance by a South Korean athlete in any discipline at the world championships. Mutaz

July 20, 2022

[Newsmaker] High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok captures silver at world championships

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has grabbed the silver medal at the world championships, falling just shy of a history-making title on his sport's biggest stage. By matching his own national record at 2.35 meters, Woo finished as the runner-up to Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar at the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Monday (local time). Woo, 26, was trying to become the first South Korean to capture an outdoor world title in any track and field event. Woo

July 19, 2022

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok eyeing history at world championships

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has already made plenty of South Korean athletics history, with his first career world indoor title from March this year being the biggest feather in his cap so far. The ascendant athlete will look to add an outdoor world title this time. Woo will take part in men's high jump at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The qualification phase is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. Friday local time, or 2:10 a.m. Saturday in South Korea. Of the 32 jumpers in the q

July 15, 2022

S. Korea open to selecting MLB players of Korean descent for WBC: official

As South Korea gears up for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) next spring, the country will keep its doors open for foreign-born players of Korean descent, a senior national team official has declared. Youm Kyoung-youb, a former manager and general manager in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), was named the national team technical director for the WBC on Monday. He will work with six other members on the technical committee in searching for the national team manager and putting together a 28-

July 12, 2022

S. Korean prospect Cho Se-hyuk wins boys' under-14 title at Wimbledon

South Korean tennis prospect Cho Se-hyuk has become the inaugural champion of the boys' 14 & under singles title at Wimbledon. Cho defeated Carel Aubriel Ngounoue of the United States in straight sets, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, in the final held at All England Club in London on Sunday (local time). The 14 & under event was contested for the first time this year. The boys' and girls' competitions are for players 18 or younger, and a South Korean player, Chung Hyeon, was the runner-up in the

July 11, 2022

S. Korean Kwon Soon-woo bows out to Djokovic in 1st round at Wimble

South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo lost to defending champion Novak Djokovic in the opening round of Wimbledon in London on Monday, battling the 20-time Grand Slam winner for nearly two and a half hours before running out of gas. Djokovic, world No. 3 going for his seventh Wimbledon title, defeated the 81st-ranked South Korean 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court at the All England Club in the English capital. Kwon has now dropped both of his matches against Djokovic. Kwon jumped out to an early lea

June 28, 2022

S. Korea finishes 6th in men's relay at swimming worlds with new nat'l record

Led by teen swimming star Hwang Sun-woo, South Korea has submitted its best-ever relay performance at the swimming world championships. Hwang, the reigning 200m freestyle silver medalist, joined Kim Woo-min, Lee Yoo-yeon and Lee Ho-joon for the sixth-place finish in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay at the FINA World Championships at Duna Arena in Budapest on Thursday (local time). They set a new national record with a time of 7:06.93, breaking their own mark set merely hours earlier. This w

June 24, 2022

S. Korean Hwang Sun-woo misses out on 2nd chance at worlds

South Korean Hwang Sun-woo has come up short in his second attempt to reach the final in the men's 100m freestyle at the world swimming championships in Hungary, unable to capitalize on an opportunity for his second medal following an unexpected withdrawal by a heavy favorite. Hwang finished 11th overall among 16 swimmers in the semifinals at the FINA World Championships in Budapest on Tuesday (local time), with a time of 48.08 seconds. Only the top seven advanced to the final. Hwang, the 2

June 22, 2022

Teen swimmer reaches next level in burgeoning career with world championships silver

For a few months now, South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo, still just 19, has been carrying the weight of a nation thirsty for a new star in the pool. And with aplomb and poise rare for athletes his age, Hwang has delivered. The country and the rest of the swimming world got their first glimpse into Hwang's considerable promise at last year's Tokyo Olympics. A fuller version of the still-improving athlete was on display Monday in Budapest, where Hwang captured his first long course worl

June 21, 2022

S. Korean Hwang Sun-woo wins silver at world swimming championships

South Korean teen swimmer Hwang Sun-woo has captured the silver medal in the men's 200m freestyle at the world championships, becoming only the second swimmer from the country to reach a podium at the biennial event. Hwang finished his race in 1:44.47 at the FINA World Championships in Budapest on Monday (local time) for his first career long course world championship medal. It was a new South Korean record and Hwang's new personal best. He finished 1.26 seconds behind the champion, Da

June 21, 2022

Teen swimmer's quest for world championships medal to start on weekend

South Korean teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo will begin the pursuit of his first world championships medal on the weekend in Hungary. Hwang, 19, represents South Korea's strongest medal hope among the country's 38 swimmers, artistic swimmers and divers competing at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest. The South Korean delegation arrived in the Hungarian capital Wednesday afternoon. The competition starts with preliminaries in artistic swimming on Friday, and swimming ra

June 17, 2022

Olympic hockey hero succumbs to lung cancer at 35

Cho Min-ho, who scored South Korea's very first goal in Olympic hockey, has passed away at 35 after losing a battle with lung cancer. Cho's former South Korean club, Anyang Halla, said Thursday the player had died the previous afternoon. Cho had been diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2021, after returning from training camp and exhibition games against minor league teams in the United States. Cho immediately began treatment, but his condition had worsened rapidly in recent weeks, a

June 16, 2022

Former rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae to wed in August

 Former rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae will tie the knot with a non-celebrity in August, her agency said Saturday.    Next Euphoria said the would-be bridegroom is nine years older than her and they will have a private wedding at an undisclosed place to be attended by only family members and friends.    Son was one of the country's most visible athletes during her career. She took fifth place at the 2012 London Olympics and ranked fourth in the individual all-around a

May 28, 2022

S. Korean Kwon Soon-woo eliminated in 1st round of French Open

South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo has failed to get past the opening round of the French Open, a year after advancing to the third round of the season's second Grand Slam tournament. World No. 7 Andrey Rublev defeated the 71st-ranked South Korean in four sets, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round of the French Open at Roland-Garros in Paris on Tuesday (local time). At last year's French Open, Kwon had reached the third round, the deepest he had ever gone at one of the four major

May 25, 2022

Ascendant high jumper, swimmer among athletes forced to put Asiad dreams on hold

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok is enjoying the best stretch of his career. He captured his first world indoor title in March by clearing 2.34 meters. Woo also rose to the top of the 2022 outdoor season rankings by jumping 2.32 meters at a South Korean event last Wednesday. These performances came on the heels of Woo's fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. It was the highest placement by a South Korean track and field athlete at any Olympics. Woo appeared to be peaking j

May 9, 2022

S. Korean player Lee Hyun-jung declares for NBA draft

South Korean basketball player Lee Hyun-jung declared for the rookie draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday, saying he is "excited" about the opportunity to pursue his dream of competing in the top league. Lee, a junior wing for Davidson College Wildcats, made the announcement on his Instagram page. He will try to become only the second South Korean to play in the NBA, after the former Portland Trail Blazers center Ha Seung-jin. "After putting some serious

April 27, 2022

Choi Min-jeong captures overall crown at short track worlds

For the first time in four years, Choi Min-jeong is the overall champion at the short track worlds. Choi scored 107 ranking points to hold off Kim Boutin of Canada at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Montreal on Sunday (local time). On the final day, Choi won the women's 1,000m title after a late charge past Boutin. She also crossed the line first in the 3,000m Superfinal, which was only open to the top eight skaters in the point standings. B

April 11, 2022

S. Korea takes silver behind Switzerland at women's curling worlds

South Korea has claimed the silver medal at the women's curling world championships, falling to Switzerland in a hard-fought final but still posting the country's best-ever finish at the annual competition. Led by skip Kim Eun-jung, South Korea lost to Switzerland 7-6 in the gold medal game at the World Women's Curling Championship in Prince George, Canada, on Sunday (local time). Switzerland scored three points in the second end, and South Korea never led. This was South Korea's first appearanc

March 28, 2022

S. Korean men disappoint at figure skating worlds

South Korean Lee Si-hyeong finished well out of contention at the figure skating world championships in France, while his countryman Cha Jun-hwan withdrew because of problems with his boots. Lee finished 18th in the men's singles competition at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Montpellier, France, on Saturday (local time). He earned 138.71 points in Saturday's free skate, after scoring 85.34 points in the short program from Thursday. Cha, who had been i

March 27, 2022

Cha Jun-hwan well out of contention at figure skating worlds after subpar short program

Cha Jun-hwan's dreams of winning his first world championships medal went up in smoke on his first day of competition in France. The South Korean found himself well out of contention in 17th place after earning only 82.43 points in a mistake-filled short program at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Montpellier, France, on Thursday (local time). The 20-year-old fell more than 17 points shy of his personal best set at the Beijing Winter Olympics in Februar

March 25, 2022