⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok competes in the men's high jump event at the Diamond League competition at Stade Louis II in Monaco on July 11, 2025. [EPA/YONHAP] 

Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has extended his international winning streak to seven on Saturday while also qualifying for this year's world championships. 

The new record was set at the 2025 Monaco Diamond League, an annual outdoor track competition, where Woo won the men's high jump title, clearing the bar at 2.34 meters (7.7 feet). 

It was the highest outdoor jump by anyone in the world this year. In March, Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine had cleared 2.34 meters at an indoor event. 

Woo has now claimed victory in all seven international competitions he has competed in this year. In addition to three indoor meets, he won four outdoor events: What Gravity Challenge in May with a 2.29-meter jump; Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi-si, North Gyeongsang, with a 2.29-meter jump; and Rome Diamond League, also known as the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, in June with a 2.32-meter jump. 

The Monaco record also qualifies him to the upcoming outdoor high jump world championship set to be held in September in Tokyo. No Korean athlete has won an outdoor world title, with Woo having come the closest with his silver medal in 2022. He has won two gold medals and one bronze medal at the indoor world championship. 

"I believe I can jump even higher," Woo told the press after his race. "My goal for this season obviously is to win the world title." 

At the recent Monaco race, Jan Stefela of the Czech Republic finished second to Woo at 2.32, and JuVaughn Harrison of the United States ranked third at 2.27 meters. Hamish Kerr, the reigning Olympic champion from New Zealand, ended up in seventh at 2.23 meters. 

Woo took just one attempt each to clear the bar at 2.15 meters, 2.19 meters and 2.23 meters. He then jumped over 2.27 meters in two attempts, before soaring over 2.30 meters in his first try. 

Of the eight finalists, only Woo and Stefela jumped over 2.30 meters. After Stefela went over 2.32 meters in one attempt, Woo set his bar at 2.34 meters and cleared it in his first attempt. 

Stefela couldn't match Woo's height in his first attempt, and missed out on both attempts at 2.36 meters. 

Woo tried to match his own Korean record of 2.36 meters but failed, before the next two attempts at 2.37 meters also went for naught.