[Anchor]

South Korean sport climbing star Seo Chae-hyun is also a strong contender for the gold medal at this Asian Games. Having advanced to the finals three years ago in Hangzhou only to settle for a silver medal without even getting to compete due to weather conditions, she is determined to wash away that disappointment with a gold medal this time.

Reporter Seo Dae-won has the story.

[Reporter]

Seo Chae-hyun suffered unexpected misfortune at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, her first appearance at the event.

She advanced to the finals tied for the highest score with Japan's Mori in the semifinals, but heavy rain repeatedly delayed the final match before it was ultimately canceled.

According to tournament regulations, Mori, who had a better preliminary score, took the gold medal, leaving Seo Chae-hyun to settle for silver without even having a chance to compete.

[Seo Chae-hyun / National Sport Climbing Team Athlete : My body felt like it was starting to peak from the semifinals onwards, so I thought, 'Ah, if I make it to the finals, I can really give it a good shot.' It was extremely disappointing at the time.]

In Hangzhou, the format combined the scores of her main discipline, lead climbing, with bouldering, a relative weakness. This time, however, the two disciplines have been separated, creating a more advantageous system for Seo Chae-hyun.

[Seo Chae-hyun / National Sport Climbing Team Athlete : This time, I definitely want to win the gold medal and play a game with no regrets.]

Having drawn early attention 13 years ago when she was introduced as a "rock-climbing prodigy" on a TV program at the age of ten,

[Seo Chae-hyun / National Sport Climbing Team Athlete : It feels like riding an amusement park ride.]

She has steadily grown into a "climbing genius," following in the footsteps of Kim Jain to become the second South Korean to win the World Championships, while claiming medals at three consecutive World Championships. She currently ranks second in the world in the lead discipline.

She is nurturing her dream of standing at the top in Nagoya and two years later at the LA Olympics.

[Seo Chae-hyun / National Sport Climbing Team Athlete : I will work even harder leading up to this Asian Games so that I can show you my best performance.]

(Video by Kim Hak-mo | Video Editing by Park Jung-sam | Design by Lee Ga-jin)