Fierce competition on and off the lead walls at the Olympic Qualification Series in Budapest, Hungary today determined the top 20 semi-finalists in the men's and women's bouldering and lead events.
With the Paris 2024 qualifying rounds approaching, South Korea's Seo Chae-hyun took the lead in the women's competition, becoming the only top finisher of the day and taking the lead at the end of qualifying.
On taking the lead and topping all of the qualifying rounds, Seo said: “I’m really proud right now because this is the first time I’ve ever come out on top in all of the boulders and leads.
“I didn't feel much pressure because I did well in Shanghai. I was just having fun on the wall.”
Explaining how she created her best performance to date, Seo said: “I've been training hard since Shanghai. I've worked on my weaknesses. After Shanghai I went straight back to training and really worked on improving my power. I think it went very well.”
“Our head coach is also my dad and he trained me a lot, lifting weights and building muscle speed for coordination movements.
“Almost every conversation at home is about climbing; we love it. I started climbing when I was six years old and loved it straight away. I've never hated it.
“He was my only teacher. He was on the national ice climbing team. My mother also climbs and competed in the World Cup once.”
Seo will face compatriot Kim Jae-in, who finished in 20th place, in the semifinals.Number He made up for a sub-par round in Boulder with a 96-point gain and slid into a spot.
The climbers at the top of the standings after the boulder remain in good positions after regaining the lead: Brooke Labatou of the United States and Miho Nonaka of Japan were second and third, respectively, and both also have teammates in the semifinals in Anastasia Sanders and Futaba Ito.
Many nations will compete in the semi-finals, which could be important given qualification for the Paris Games and the limit of two places per country.
Italy, Slovenia and France all have multiple semi-finalists, while Great Britain also includes OQS Shanghai podium winners Erin McNeice and Molly Thompson-Smith.
Speaking about the pressure of trying to qualify for the Olympics, Thompson-Smith said: “It’s a big part of it. “I've wasted hours looking at the scoresheet from Shanghai and doing all sorts of imaginary calculations in my head. I've reached a point where it's just unpredictable. As a spectator it's so exciting because anything can happen, but as an athlete whose life revolves around routine and control, you just have to let go of all that and keep climbing.”
“Because the climb says it all and the score reflects that. I know if I climb my best I have a pretty good chance. That in itself is both exciting and incredibly daunting.”
“I'm currently in the final spots for Paris 2024 (following the OQS in Shanghai). It's almost a stroke of luck, but there's also a lot to lose. It could easily slip through my fingers.”
“I'm totally happy and relaxed now because I've made it to the semi-finals. It will take some pressure off me. Reaching the semi-finals gave me a chance and I'm proud that I still have a chance.”
“Day by day, climb by climb… it's exhausting.”
Full Women's Bouldering & Lead results can be found here.