Hup Wei first Malaysian high jumper to make finals at World Athletics Championships

He may not have a podium finish, but national high jumper Lee Hup Wei’s success in making history as the first Malaysian athlete to reach the finals of the prestigious World Athletics Championships is indeed something to be proud of.

The 32-year-old former national record holder made a 2.29-metre (m) jump in the Group B qualifying round at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Tuesday, which was also his personal best, to qualify for the finals.

In the finals early today, Hup Wei, however, failed to do a 2.30m jump to match the national record held by teammate Nauraj Singh Randhawa when he only managed to hit 2.27m.

Of the 12 finalists, Hup Wei finished eighth.

Asian champion Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) clinched the gold medal after making 2.37m jump, while Mikhail Akimenko and Ilya Ivanyuk (Authorised Neutral Athlete) bagged the silver and bronze medal, respectively after both made a 2.35m jump.

Hup Wei, who competed on the wildcard ticket managed to complete the 2.19m and 2.24m jumps on a single attempt, made the 2.27m jump with two attempts but failed to reach the 2.30m mark, hence denying him the opportunity to make a 2.33m jump to qualify on merit for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Prior to this, Hup Wei, the winner of Asian Championships 2007, who is also SEA Games gold medalist, had qualified for the Beijing Olympics 2008 and London Olympics 2012.

- Bernama