The next generation is waiting in the wings as sport climbers prepare for the Asian Games

Kwon Ki-beom (left) and Kim Chae-young pose for a photo during an interview with JoongAng Ilbo at the Seoul Mountain Climbing & Culture Center in western Seoul on August 25. [JOONGANG ILBO]

When Korean sport climbers Sa Sol and Seo Chae-hyun fly to the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, next week, 16-year-old Kim Chae-young will be closely monitoring every single dyno and heel hook.

“I want to be a climber like Kim Ja-in,” Kim Chae-young said during an interview with JoongAng Ilbo at the Seoul Mountain Climbing & Culture Center in western Seoul on August 25.

Kim Ja-in, Sa Sol and Seo Chae-hyun are the three most famous sport climbers in Korean history.

At 35 years old, Kim Ja-in is already considered the first major athlete in Korean sport climbing. Kim Ja-in burst onto the scene in 2010 and has over 30 World Championship gold medals, two World Championships and 14 Asian Championships to her name. She is the oldest woman to ever win a gold medal at the World Championships this year. She didn’t make the Asian Games this year, but could still compete for Korea at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Sa rose to fame in 2018 when she took silver at the 2018 Asian Games and the World Championships, and 19-year-old Seo made a name for herself when she won the overall World Cup title in her debut season in 2019.

Kim Chae-young hopes to be the fourth athlete to join this list.

Standing at 4.92 feet tall, the 16-year-old won a silver medal in the leading discipline at the 2023 ISFC World Youth Championships, held August 18-27 in western Seoul.

Sport climbing is a sport in which climbers compete in three disciplines: speed, bouldering and lead climbing.

In the speed competition, athletes compete to climb an identical 15-meter (50-foot) wall at a 95-degree angle faster than their opponents.

In bouldering, athletes climb different routes without ropes within four minutes. The routes vary in difficulty and athletes do not have the opportunity to view them in advance.

In the lead climb, the athletes try to climb as high as possible on a 15 meter high wall within six minutes.

Kim Chae-yeong’s silver was the result of her intensive training. While still in high school, she trains every day from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“I participated in the national team selection this year with Kim Ja-in and Seo Chae-hyun,” Kim Chae-young said. “I really want to be a member of the national team.”

Kwon Ki-beom, 17, is another climber who secured a medal at this year’s World Youth Championships, taking gold in the U-18 leading discipline.

This gold was Kwon’s first ever medal, won at his second international tournament.

“I won the prize the way I did [climbing] for fun,” Kwon said. “As a fifth-grader, I played a lot on the playground and the people around me suggested to my parents that I let me take up climbing. Then they took me to the climbing gym in northern Seoul.”

Kwon trains in several climbing gyms in Seoul as if he wants to master them all.

“Between the ages of 16 and 17, sport climbers’ skills improve significantly,” said Lee Chang-hyun, head coach of the youth national sport climbing team. “Kwon’s ability to grab a climbing hold is great. Kim Chae-young has a strong mentality and manages her fitness well. I think they can do well at the World Cup too.”

However, Kwon and Kim Chae-young will not take part in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, which begin at the end of September, as they did not earn a place in the national team.

Joining Sa and Seo in the women’s bouldering and lead climbing competitions, Lee Do-hyun and Chon Jong-won will represent Korea in the men’s competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games. In the speed discipline, which was all about how quickly you can reach the top of the wall, Noh Hee-ju, Jung Ji-min and Choi Na-woo will compete in the women’s competition alongside Lee Yong-su and Lee Seung -beom and Jung Yong-jun for men.

BY KIM YOUNG-JU [[email protected]]