Seo Chaehyun Aims for Paris Olympic Medal with Lead Onsight Climb [Paris Olympics]

Missed Bronze by '3 Lead Holds' at Tokyo Olympics

Seo Chaehyun has taken the first step to shake off the regrets from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

On the 6th (local time), Seo Chaehyun competed in the women's combined semifinal of the 2024 Paris Olympic sport climbing event held at Le Bourget Climbing Venue in Paris, France. The combined event ranks athletes by adding the scores of bouldering and lead climbing, each worth 100 points. Seo Chaehyun scored 44.2 points in bouldering, placing 13th out of 20 competitors. Only the top eight advance to the final on the 10th to compete for medals. Although she placed 13th in bouldering, Seo Chaehyun has a high chance of reaching the final because lead climbing, held on the 8th, is her main event. She is ranked 3rd in the world in women's lead by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), while her world ranking in bouldering is 17th.

Seo Chaehyun also demonstrated outstanding skills in the lead event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she was 17 years old. Unlike now, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics combined the results of three events?bouldering, lead, and speed?to determine the final ranking. At that time, Seo Chaehyun placed 8th in speed and 7th in the combined final among eight finalists. In the last lead event, Seo aimed for first place. Due to the unique ranking system then, finishing first in lead could have earned her a bronze medal.

Seo Chaehyun is celebrating after completing the second course in the women's combined bouldering semifinal at the 2024 Paris Olympics sports climbing event held on the 6th (local time) at the Le Bourget Climbing Venue in France.
Photo by Yonhap News

Lead climbing is an event where climbers ascend an artificial wall 15 meters high, gripping holds and protrusions within 6 minutes to reach the highest point. There are 40 holds in total. Among the eight finalists in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic combined final, Seo Chaehyun was the only athlete to touch all 40 holds in the preliminaries. Janja Garnbret of Slovenia, who finished first in lead in the final, touched 37 holds. Seo needed to touch 38 holds to win the bronze but fell short by three, touching only 35 holds, missing out on a medal. Seo plans to showcase her skills in lead climbing again at the Paris Olympics to contend for a medal. Unlike the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where speed was combined with lead and bouldering, speed is now a separate event, and the combined event is decided only by lead and bouldering, which is advantageous for Seo.

After the bouldering event, Seo Chaehyun expressed confidence in an interview, saying, "I think I can turn things around in lead and definitely make it to the final." She also expressed satisfaction with her bouldering results.

Bouldering is a competition where climbers touch holds arranged like a puzzle on a 4.5-meter-high wall and must touch the top hold with both hands to complete the climb. There are four problems, each worth 25 points. Completing the top hold ('top') earns 25 points, and points are awarded differentially based on how far the climber reaches, such as high zone (10 points) and low zone (5 points).

Seo Chaehyun added, "My strength has improved a lot compared to Tokyo. Back then, I couldn't show a completed climb in bouldering, but this time I succeeded." She completed the second problem and earned 24.8 points.

Seo Chaehyun will compete in the combined semifinal lead event at 5 p.m. KST on the 8th. If she places in the top eight, she will advance to the final on the 10th. The final on the 10th will start with bouldering at 5:15 p.m., followed by lead climbing at 7:35 p.m., where the medalists will be decided.