Seoul: Lee Do-hyun captured his first career world title in the men's lead event at the sport climbing world championships in Seoul on Friday. Lee scored 43+ points in the men's lead final of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Climbing World Championships at KSPO Dome inside Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul. He is the first South Korean male climber to win a world title in any discipline.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Satone Yoshida of Japan also finished with 43+ points but Lee got the upper hand after outscoring Yoshida in the semifinals, 48+ to 46+. Taisei Homma of Japan secured the bronze medal with 42+ points. Jakob Schubert of Austria, a four-time world champion, finished seventh with 34 points.
Lee is currently fourth in the world lead rankings and recently won a World Cup title in that discipline in Madrid two months ago. He is also ranked second in the boulder rankings and is the 2023 world boulder bronze medalist. "Definitely, the feeling is amazing. My dream came true," Lee said. "I'm so happy to compete here because this is my hometown and my parents and friends came. It means a lot."
In response to whether he anticipates winning a medal in bouldering on Sunday, Lee expressed his confidence, saying, "I have confidence in bouldering and I will do my best." In lead climbing, the objective for climbers is to ascend as high as possible on a route set on a 15-meter wall within six minutes. Climbers earn points for reaching and controlling designated holds, with the "+" sign indicating an attempt to advance to the next hold.
Earlier on Friday, South Korea's Seo Chae-hyun captured bronze in the women's lead event, marking her third career medal at the competition. Seo scored 44+ points in the women's lead final of the IFSC Climbing World Championships at KSPO Dome. Janja Garnbret of Slovenia claimed her third world title with a score of "top" for completing her climb, while her compatriot, Rosa Rekar, finished with 45 points. Seo, 21, had previously won gold at the 2021 worlds and picked up bronze two years later.