Jumper Kim injured; other S. Koreans knocked out early again

By Yoo Jee-ho
DAEGU, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- Host South Korea had a disappointing start to Friday at the World Championships in Athletics, with its best remaining athlete getting injured and other homegrown competitors getting knocked out of qualifying stages.
Kim Deok-hyeon, who on Thursday qualified for the long jump final, missed the triple jump final Friday and injured his left foot in the process.
He didn't even take off in his first two runs after stepping over the scratch line. When he crossed the line for the third time, Kim fell down grabbing his left heel. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and sent to a local hospital for further treatment.
Kim, 25, is scheduled to compete in the long jump final starting at 7:20 p.m. Friday, and it wasn't immediately clear whether he would withdraw from that event.
Kim qualified as 11th best among 12 jumpers. A national record holder in both long jump and triple jump, Kim is considered South Korea's best remaining hope for a top-10 finish.
Elsewhere in the field, Kang Na-ru was eliminated from the qualification round in women's hammer throw. She threw 61.05 meters in her first try but was disqualified in her next two attempts for violating the throwing circle.
She needed to reach at least 71 meters or finish among the top 12 in the field.
Jung Hye-rim was knocked out of women's 100-meter hurdles. In her heat, Jung finished in 13.39 seconds, tied for seventh. The first four runners in each heat plus those with four fastest times qualified for the semifinals.
In the women's 4x400節? relay, the foursome of Woo Yu-jin, Lee Ha-nee, Park Seong-myun and Oh Se-ra finished last in their heat at 3:43.22. Lee and Park bobbled the baton during their handover, but the team still set its best time of the season.


jeeho@yna.co.kr