"Ai Mori Is 47+, Seo Chae-hyun Is TOP!" Perfect Gold-Medal Climb Silences Japan [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] South Korea's 'Spider Girl,' Seo Chae-hyun (Seoul City Hall/The North Face), planted the Taegeukgi at the highest point in the heart of Japan. She overwhelmed Japan's top rival, who competed with the advantage of home-court support, by a decisive margin and gave Korean sport climbing a valuable Asian Games gold medal after eight years.
At the women's lead final in sport climbing at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on the 3rd at Port Messe Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Seo Chae-hyun was the only athlete to reach the final hold and record a top (TOP). She comfortably defeated her Japanese rival, Ai Mori, who finished with 47+, to claim the gold medal.
Seo Chae-hyun became only the second Korean athlete to win an Asian Games sport climbing gold medal, following Chon Jong-won, who won the combined event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. It was a remarkable achievement that reopened Korea's gold-medal pipeline in climbing after an eight-year drought.

Lead is an event in which climbers compete to see who can climb highest on a 15-meter artificial wall within a six-minute time limit. In addition to extreme endurance, efficient energy management through 'route finding'—studying the course in advance—is essential. Seo Chae-hyun's TOP score is the highest possible mark, meaning she reached the final hold perfectly.
After winning silver in the combined event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and bronze in bouldering at this competition, Seo Chae-hyun completed her buildup. She finally reached the top of Asia in lead, her signature event, and completely put her previous disappointments behind her.

After receiving TOP scores alongside Ai Mori in the semifinal and advancing to the final as joint leaders, Seo Chae-hyun showed nerves of steel. Climbing last among the eight finalists, she never wavered. She surpassed the preceding athletes' marks one by one, quickly moving past all seven, then used flawless route finding and tremendous stamina to reach the final hold with every last ounce of strength. A perfect score sealed her flawless victory.
Kim Chae-young of Jeonju Rock Climbing, who also reached the final, finished fourth with 38+. She narrowly missed out to China's Zhang Xue-tong (39+), who won the bronze medal, by one hold. Kim Chae-young grabbed hold 38 and made a valid move toward hold 39, which would have earned her a '+' rating, while Zhang Xue-tong firmly controlled hold 39. That split-second difference decided the medal positions.
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