Seo Chae-hyun, South Korea's leading female sport climber, posted a perfect score in the women's bouldering semifinals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, setting up a commanding bid for gold.
Seo, who competes for The North Face and the Seoul Metropolitan Government team, was the only climber in the field to solve all four problems on her first attempt at the Nagoya International Exhibition Hall on the 30th. Her run of flashes — completing each problem on the first try — gave her a perfect 100 points and the top spot heading into the final.
Lead climbing is Seo's main event, and she is ranked second in the world in the discipline. Her flawless performance in bouldering, which was held before the lead competition, raised expectations that she could win two titles at the Games.
Seo also edged out one of her toughest rivals, Miho Nonaka of Japan, the silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Nonaka solved all four problems as well but struggled twice on the third before completing it on her third attempt, finishing with 99.8 points. Seo held the lead by 0.2 points, pushing Nonaka into second.
Teammate Noh Hee-ju of the Busan Family Alpine Club also turned in a strong showing. Noh solved two of the four problems for 69.8 points, placing seventh overall and claiming one of the eight spots in the final. The bouldering final, set for Oct. 1, will feature two climbers each from South Korea, Japan, China and Singapore competing for the gold medal.
The men's speed qualifying round held the same day brought more good news. Cho Jin-yong of Hankwang High School clocked 5.04 seconds for ninth place, and Kim Dong-jun of the Chungbuk Sports Council and Taki Climbing Center posted 5.38 seconds for 14th, both advancing to the final, which takes the top 16 of the 19 entrants. The men's speed final, which will decide the medals, is also scheduled for Oct. 1.
