Sport climber Kim Ja-in was named South Korea's top female athlete of the year Monday.
Kim, 29, will receive the highest honor at the 2017 Korea Woman Sports Awards, the organizers said. The award ceremony will take place in Seoul next Tuesday.
Kim is one of the leading climbers in climbing and bouldering competitions. She has won 26 International Federation of Sport Climbing LEAD World Cups, most among female climbers.
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In this file photo taken on Aug. 28, 2017, South Korean professional sport climber Kim Ja-in shows her gold medal from the IFSC Lead World Cup after arriving at Incheon International Airport in Incheon. (Yonhap) |
The coaching accolade will go to Chun Joo-weon, an assistant coach at Woori Bank Weebee in the Women's Korean Basketball League. She helped her club to win the WKBL championship for five straight seasons. Figure skater Choi Da-bin was chosen as the recipient of the top rookie award, according to the organizers.
The Korea Woman Sports Awards was established in 1989 by former International Olympic Committee Vice President Kim Un-yong to honor South Korean women's athletic achievements. The annual ceremony was originally called the Yungok Female Sports Grand Awards, but they changed their name and expanded categories in 2013.
Previous winners include footballer Ji So-yun, rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae and archer Chang Hye-jin. (Yonhap)
