Korea national team takes third place
Korea’s Kim Ja-in sat atop the podium alone for the first time this season at an international climbing championship in Europe on Sunday.
At the 2011 International Federation of Sports Climbing World Cup in Puurs, Belgium, 23-year-old Kim dominated the lead climbing category from qualification to final and finished with the highest marks.
Following were Angela Eiter of Australia and Mina Markovic of Slovenia, who is also ranked first overall this season, but only ahead of Kim by a marginal 10 points, with plenty of climbs left in the season.
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Kim Ja-in |
Kim looked smooth throughout her final climb, without questioning a single move until the very end, when she fell after a perfectly executed reach, but lacked the gas behind the pedal to hold on.
Kim’s win, along with her compatriots Han Seu-ran at 14th and Sa sol at 27th, plus male climbers Min Hyun-bin, Sim Seol-bin and Kim’s own older brother Kim Ja-bee came together to place Korea third.
Lead climbing is an event in which the climbers attempt to reach the top of a route or cliff by securing the rope to the wall as they go in a test of endurance, strength and focus.
By Robert Lee (
robert@heraldcorp.com)
