South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok won the silver medal in the first competition of the 2023 season on Sunday.

The 26-year-old jumped two-point-24 meters in the final stage of men's high jump at the Tenth Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, coming in second behind Japan's Ryoichi Akamatsu, who jumped two-point-28 meters.

After breezing through the first round with jumps of two-point-14, two-point-two and two-point-24 meters, Woo failed an attempt at two-point-28 meters.

In the second and final round, Akamatsu successfully jumped two-point-28 meters, prompting Woo to try a two-point-three-meter jump after failing to clear two-point-28 meters once, but failed the remaining two attempts to finish in second.

Current world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar was absent from the tournament, raising hopes that the South Korean jumper could claim the title.

Woo will continue training in preparation for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August and the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.