Zhuhai high-jump athlete garners gold at Asian Games

Wang Yu, a 27-year-old Zhuhai native, took gold in the men's high jump final at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug 27.

Wang clinched the title with a jump of 2.30 m on his first attempt. He then tried to exceed his personal best of 2.33 m by challenging 2.34 m, but failed twice.

Wang Yu celebrates after clinching the title

South Korean Woo Sang-hyeok came second with 2.28 m. Japanese Naoto Tobe and Syrian Majd Eddin Ghzal were tied for third with 2.24 m.

According to Wang, the stressful atmosphere and keen competition gave a lot of pressure, which prevented him from bettering his own personal record. But he is still very happy to have won the gold medal.

Wang, who once trained at the Zhuhai Sports School, obtained a master's degree from the School of Social Sciences of Tsinghua University in July. He is now a China benchmark player in high jump and has won back-to-back victories at the 12th and 13th National Games.

The young man has his eyes fixed on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and looks for a better performance from further improvement in strength and takeoff speed.

Wang Yu in competition [Photos by Wang Lili / Xinhua News Agency]