South Korean sport climber Seo Chae-hyun grabbed the silver medal in the women's combined event at the Asian Games, earning her prize based on the semifinal results as the final was canceled due to inclement weather.
Seo had finished in second place behind Ai Mori of Japan after the semifinal, with 99.73 points in bouldering and 100 points from lead at Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan Sport Climbing Centre in Shaoxing, southeast of the main host city, Hangzhou.
South Korean sport climber Seo Chae-hyun walks off the wall after completing her bouldering event in the semifinals of the women's combined event at the Asian Games at Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan Sport Climbing Centre in Shaoxing, China, on Oct. 7, 2023. (Yonhap)
The two athletes had the same point total, but Mori was awarded the gold with the qualifying scores being the tiebreaker. Mori scored 196 points in qualification, while Seo had 176 points.
The final was initially scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. but was scrapped due to persistent rainfall in the area.
"I was looking forward to an exciting final, and I am disappointed that I didn't even get a chance to try to win the gold," Seo said. "We'll have the Asian qualifying for the Paris Olympics in November. I will try to get my Olympic ticket there and put on a strong showing at the Olympics next year."
In bouldering, the goal is to solve four problems set on 4.5m-high walls, each within a four-minute limit. The fewer the attempts, the higher the climbers' scores. A successful climb is worth 25 points, but 0.1 point is deducted for each additional attempt after the first one.
South Korean sport climber Seo Chae-hyun competes during the semifinals of the women's combined event at the Asian Games at Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan Sport Climbing Centre in Shaoxing, China, on Oct. 7, 2023. (Yonhap)
In lead climbing, climbers try to go as high as possible on a 15m-high wall in a single attempt within a six-minute limit, and reaching the top is worth 100 points. The higher climbers ascend, the more points they accumulate.
Mori and Seo were the only two climbers to score 100 points in lead in the semifinals.
Zhang Yuetong of China was awarded the bronze with 175.73 total points -- 99.73 points from bouldering and 76 points from lead.
On Friday, Lee Do-hyun of South Korea won silver in the men's combined event.
Source: Yonhap News Agency