South Korean diving medal hopeful Woo Haram and teammate Yi Jae-gyeong advanced to the semifinal in the men’s 3-meter springboard event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

With the top 18 divers out of 25 in the preliminary advancing to the next phase, Woo finished 12th with 389.10 points after six dives at the Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. Yi finished 16th with 381.40 points.

The semifinal is Wednesday, and the top 12 divers from there will qualify for the final Thursday.

Woo ranked fourth in this event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the best Olympic performance by a South Korean diver. He and Yi will try to become the first pair of South Korean diving teammates to reach an Olympic final together.

In the preliminary, Woo jumped from 13th to eighth place after his third dive, scoring 76.00 points with forward 4 1/2 somersaults in the tuck position. It was the fifth-best dive overall in the third round of dives.

Woo wasn’t able to top that in any of his remaining three dives but stayed safel
y inside the top 18.

Woo said he was able to identify areas that he needs to improve for the semifinal and possibly the final.

“Physically, I am not feeling too bad. I just have to be more precise with details, like the angle of my jump and my entry,” Woo said. “I was nervous for my first couple of dives, but I was able to settle down later. In the semifinal, I should be able to dive with more confidence right from the first jump.”

With a nagging back injury now behind him, Woo has his sights set firmly on the podium here.

“My goal is obviously to win a medal at this Olympics,” Woo said. “But I don’t want to get too caught up in that. I will just do the best I can. If I can do that, then a medal will follow.”

Yi ranked sixth at the halfway point, after scoring over 70 points in his second and third dives. But he dropped out of the top 10 after earning only 43.75 points with his fourth dive, reverse 3 1/3 somersaults in the tuck position, but qualified for the semifinal with room to spare.

“I find that d
ive really difficult to execute,” Yi said of his fourth dive. “I made a mistake in entry. The competition will get tougher in the semifinal, and I have to minimize mistakes in every attempt.”

Yi edged out Woo for the 2023 Asian Games bronze medal in the 3m springboard. Now, the two will try to advance to the final together.

“Other divers will come out all fired up in the semifinal,” Yi said. “I have to be better to be able to reach the final. I’d love to get there with Haram.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency