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In sport climbing, Seo Chae-hyun has won the gold medal in the lead event. Seo, who was introduced to the public as a "climbing prodigy" on the SBS program "What on Earth!" during her childhood, has now grown into a climbing genius and stands tall as an Asian Games gold medalist.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the story.

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Having won a bronze medal on October 1 in bouldering, which is not her main event, Seo showcased her world number-two-ranked skills in her primary event, lead climbing—a competition where athletes try to climb as high as possible on a 15-meter artificial wall within a 6-minute time limit.

As the last competitor to take the wall in the eight-person final, Seo climbed unflinchingly toward the highest "top hold."

While Japan's Mori Ai, who also successfully completed the route in the semifinals, fell after grabbing the 47th hold just before Seo's turn, Seo surpassed Mori's mark to finally touch the "top hold" and secure the victory.

This marks the first gold medal for South Korean sport climbing at the Asian Games in 8 years, following Chun Jong-won's victory at the 2018 Jakarta Games.

[Seo Chae-hyun / National Sport Climbing Team Member: Since I kept missing out on wins and feeling disappointed, I feel like all of that regret has been washed away at once.]

Back in 2013 at the age of ten, Seo first drew widespread attention when she appeared as a "climbing prodigy" on SBS's "What on Earth!"

[It feels like riding an amusement park ride.]

Growing steadily into a "climbing genius," she has already competed in two Olympic Games. Following in the footsteps of Kim Jain, she became the second South Korean to conquer the World Championships, and has now placed her first Asian Games gold medal around her neck.

[I think I've received a lot of support since I was young, and I want to thank everyone for steadfastly supporting me and standing by me reliably ever since. Always.]

In the men's lead event, Lee Do-hyun won a bronze medal, adding a second medal following his silver in bouldering.

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In sailing, Choi Ji-woon competed in the youth division and pulled off a dramatic last-minute comeback in the dinghy event—where boats are propelled solely by wind and waves without a motor—to win the gold medal.

(Video by Kim Se-kyung | Video Editing by Jeon Min-gyu | Design by Kang Yoon-jung)