The heat was turned up on and off the Lead wall today at the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, Hungary with the top 20 men’s and women’s Boulder & Lead semi-finalists confirmed.
As Paris 2024 qualification inches ever closer, in the women’s competition it was South Korea’s Seo Chaehyun who put down a marker with a top, the only top of the day, to help her jump into first place at the end of qualification.
On topping the Lead and all the qualification Boulders Seo said: “It’s my first time to top all the Boulders and Lead, so I am so proud of myself right now.
“I didn’t feel much pressure because I did well in Shanghai, so I was just having fun on the wall.”
Explain how she produced her best-ever performance Seo said: “Hard training from Shanghai. I addressed my weaknesses. I went straight back to training after Shanghai, I really tried to improve my power and I think it worked great.
“Our head coach is also my father and he trained me a lot. Lifting weights and growing speed in my muscles for the coordination moves.
“At home almost every single conversation is about climbing but we love climbing. I started climbing (aged) six years old. I liked it straight away. I never felt like I hated it.
“He has been my only teacher. He was on the ice climbing national team. My mother also did climbing, she went to a world cup once.”
Seo will be joined in the semi-final by compatriot Kim Jain who finished in 20th spot to sneak in thanks to a 96-point climb making up for an under-par Boulder round.
The climbers around the top of the standings after Boulder are still in a good position after backing up in Lead. USA’s Brooke Raboutou and Japan’s Nonaka Miho are second and third respectively and both also have teammates with them in the semi-finals in Anastasia Sanders and Ito Futaba.
There are plenty of country pairs in the semi-final which could be important when it comes to qualification for Paris and the restriction of country quota places at two.
Italy, Slovenia, France has multiple semi-finalist’s as do Great Britain with OQS Shanghai podium finisher Erin McNeice and Molly Thompson-Smith.
Talking about the pressure of trying to claim Olympic qualification Thompson-Smith said: “The amount of hours I’ve wasted looking at the scoresheet from Shanghai and doing all sorts of imaginary and arbitrary maths in my head. I got to the point where I was like, you just can’t predict it. Anything can happen, which is super exciting as a spectator, but as an athlete whose life is centred around routine and control, you just have to let go of all of that and just go climbing.
“Because the climbing does the talking and translates into the scores. I know if I climb my best I have a really good shot, and that in itself is both exciting and incredibly daunting.
“I’m the one in the final qualification spot (for Paris 2024, following the OQS in Shanghai) right now, which is almost lucky, but I also have a lot to lose. It could easily just slip through my fingers.
“Now I feel completely happy and relaxed because I’ve made it through to the semis and I’ll feel less pressure in that. I’ve given myself a chance by being in the semifinals and I’m just proud that is still a possibility.
“It’s one day at a time, one climb at a time…it’s exhausting.”
The full women’s Boulder & Lead results can be found here
