High jump national team member Woo Sang-hyuk revealed his harrowing injury experience in which a ligament in the top of his foot was torn when his shoe burst during a competition. Woo Sang-hyuk disclosed that at the time of the accident, a force of up to 800 kg was applied to his foot, and after returning following 10 weeks in a cast and three months of rehabilitation, he experienced finishing last for the first time in 10 years.
In Episode 65 of tvN STORY's 'What's the Point of Leaving It?', broadcast on the 2nd, Lee Young-ja, Park Se-ri, and Kim Chang-ok met with high jump athletes Woo Sang-hyuk and Kang Jun-yi to discuss the hardships they had experienced as athletes.
On this day, Lee Young-ja mentioned the time when Woo Sang-hyuk had to wear a cast for 10 weeks due to a past foot injury.
In response, Woo Sang-hyuk said, "It is not that I have suffered many injuries compared to other athletes," while recalling the moment he experienced a fatal injury.
Woo Sang-hyuk explained the injured area and the situation at the time, stating, "I suffered a rupture of the Lisfranc ligament in the top of my foot."
At the time of the injury, Woo Sang-hyuk's performance was at its peak, and the force applied to his takeoff motion also became stronger.
Woo Sang-hyuk said, "When my performance is good, excessive power is generated. It cannot be resolved physically."
He then revealed that he had dismissed the danger signals at the time as insignificant, saying, "My shoe was gradually bursting, but I thought it would be fine."
However, ultimately, the shoe burst in an instant, leading to a major injury.
Woo Sang-hyuk recalled, "It burst all at once. I ended up taking off on the bare ground."
He then explained, "That power applies a force of about 500 to 800 kg," and "that impact was transmitted directly to the bones in my foot."
Woo Sang-hyuk described the impact at the time as "voluntarily causing a traffic accident."
The injury was serious enough to consider surgery, but fortunately, he was able to recover without surgery.
Woo Sang-hyuk looked back on the time, saying, "It was a stroke of luck that I did not have surgery."
He then conveyed the process of checking his condition, stating, "That injury definitely required surgery," while adding, "The director who manages me recommended trying a cast first. I went to the hospital ten days later and had the cast removed."
Woo Sang-hyuk stated, "It was a fatal injury, so it needed to be managed well," and "I did not get greedy and focused on recovering step by step."
As a result, Woo Sang-hyuk felt relieved that he could recover without surgery.
Woo Sang-hyuk said, "In the end, it was fortunate that I did not have surgery."
Afterwards, Woo Sang-hyuk focused on rehabilitation for about three months without participating in competitions.
Woo Sang-hyuk explained his recovery process, saying, "I did not compete and focused on rehabilitation for three months."
However, even after recovering his body, the fear of getting injured again during a competition remained.
Woo Sang-hyuk revealed, "I had to compete in the Asian Games, but I had trauma regarding competitions."
Woo Sang-hyuk determined that he needed to return to the actual competition stage to overcome his fear, and participated in other competitions ahead of the Asian Games.
However, at the competition he entered for a practical check-up, he received an unexpected result.
Woo Sang-hyuk said, "I finished last for the first time in 10 years since my professional debut," while stating that he was not greatly shaken by the result.
Woo Sang-hyuk said, "I think positively about everything," and "I naturally knew I would finish last."
He then conveyed his mindset for steadying himself, saying, "Considering the period of training in jump performance, training, and mental aspects, I thought I just needed to get back up again."
Afterwards, Woo Sang-hyuk returned to the Asian Games stage and won a bronze medal.
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