Monaco: South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has extended his international winning streak to seven while also qualifying for this year's world championships. Woo won the men's high jump title with 2.34 meters at the latest Diamond League stop at Stade Louis II in Monaco on Friday (local time). Woo now has five Diamond League titles under his belt, including two this year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Woo's winning mark was the best outdoor jump by anyone in the world this year. In March, Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine had cleared 2.34m at an indoor event. Woo, the reigning world indoor champion, also cleared the outdoor world championship qualification standard of 2.33m. This year's event will be in Tokyo in September.

In Monaco, 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. Hamish Kerr, the reigning Olympic champion from New Zealand, ended up in seventh at 2.23m. Woo needed just one attempt each to clear the bar at 2.15m, 2.19m and 2.23m. He then jumped over 2.27m in two attempts, before soaring over 2.30m in his first try.

Of the eight finalists, only Woo and Stefela jumped 2.30m. After Stefela went over 2.32m in one attempt, Woo set his bar at 2.34m 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 2.36m.

Woo tried to match his own South Korean record of 2.36m but failed, before the next two attempts at 2.37m also went for naught. Woo said afterward he will keep trying to break his own national record and said, "I believe I can jump even higher. My goal for this season obviously is to win the world title."

No South 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.