“When I was a young athlete, I was quite hot-headed and acted before thinking. It was when I coached [South Korea’s] snowboard cross national team several years ago that I really learned the importance of calming down and receding a little bit when I want to stand out and push through.”

Walking away with the grand prize of 300 million won (US$226,000) and being crowned South Korea’s fittest by the streaming platform has made him a bit of a celebrity. He was even recognised in the streets of Hong Kong on a visit to celebrate the fifth anniversary of local gym GO24.

It’s hard to imagine now that Woo never thought he stood a chance of winning when the show started.

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“All contestants had absolutely no idea who would be competing in the show until we were all gathered together in a big hall with 100 plaster torsos, as seen in the first episode of the show,” Woo says.

The 100 plaster statues were copies of the contestants’ upper bodies, and many of them belonged to nationally recognised names such as Olympic medal-winners, professional wrestlers and MMA fighters.

But when the first game of the final round was announced, he thought for the first time that he might win. It was also during this game that his quick strategic judgment paid off.

Only five contestants were left standing at this point, and other than Woo and a slight ice-climbing athlete named Kim Min-cheol, the rest weighed over 100kg (220lbs).

Woo knew it would be impossible for him to beat the heavyweights in this five-way, tug-of-war-like game. His only goal was to survive, which would mean just winning against ice climber Kim.

“You can see that the moment the game started, I didn’t exert any force. I just got dragged towards whichever direction the strongest guy was pulling. Kim, on the other hand, immediately tried to pull and was thrusted away. He had even said in the pregame interview that he would try to come in first. But that was just impossible,” Woo says.

When he and Kim were the only ones left in the round, his reserves of strength helped him overpower his opponent.

After surviving this game of contestants’ brute strength, Woo thought there was a chance he might win.

“I thought, ‘There won’t be a mission like that again that just tested our strength, so there must be games that are advantageous to me after this.’ That turned out to be true.”

Having a persevering mindset was also key when things became extremely difficult.

“The game where we had to move the ship that nearly weighed two tonnes was hands down the most difficult challenge. It was so heavy that it felt hopeless at the time. Even when all of us had a go at it together, it just wouldn’t budge,” Woo says.

One way he pushed through those moments was to remind himself that everybody else was probably experiencing the same pain.

“I also engaged in the matches with a bit of an empty mind. Sure, I hoped I could keep going on, but I didn’t have too high of an expectation to do so. I think that mindset helped,” Woo says.

Woo’s next goal is to become a coach for the country’s snowboard cross team again and help them make it to the 2026 Milan Olympics.

The team means a lot to Woo, as it was a phone call he made to the Korea Ski Association when he was 24 that led to its formation. While he wasn’t able to make it to the Olympics as an athlete, he still hopes to do so as a coach.

Woo’s tips for those who want to take part in the second season of Physical 100 is simple. “You must do CrossFit in order to win,” he says.

“Other than that, you really have to believe in yourself. I’m not trying to be conceited, but in order to be able to believe in yourself, you have to train yourself that much.

“There is a saying that if there is anyone who sweated more than me, that person should rightfully win over me. And that really pushes you to put in more work.”

When asked whether he finds it inconvenient now that everyone recognises him on the street, he says: “No, I love it so much. When I don’t do my hair this particular way, people don’t recognise me at all. That’s why I make sure to do my hair every time I go out.”

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