▲ Sport Climber Seo Chae-hyun
Korea's top female sport climber Seo Chae-hyun (Seoul City Hall & The North Face) has advanced to the finals of the lead event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by tying for first place in the semifinals.
Competing in the women's lead semifinals held at the Nagoya International Exhibition Hall in Japan today (Oct. 2), Seo successfully completed the route to hit the "TOP," sharing joint first place with Japan's Mori Ai to secure her ticket to the finals.
Having won a bronze medal in bouldering yesterday (Oct. 1), Seo will now aim for the gold medal in her signature lead event, which takes place tomorrow (Oct. 3).
Kim Chae-young (Jeonju Rock Climbing), who competed alongside her, scored 52 to finish in 3rd place, joining Seo in the 8-person final stage.
In the subsequent men's lead semifinals, two South Korean athletes also advanced to the finals.
Men's bouldering silver medalist Lee Do-hyun (Seoul City Hall & The North Face) secured his spot in the finals by placing 4th with a score of 33+ in the semifinals, keeping him in contention for medals across two consecutive events.
Meanwhile, Roh Hyun-seung (Sinjeong High School) finished 5th with a score of 31, grabbing a ticket to the 8-person final.
(Photo courtesy of the Korean Alpine Federation, Yonhap News)
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