‘Rock Goddess’ Kim Jain, 34, missed out on a ‘direct ticket’ to next year’s Paris Olympics after finishing fifth overall in the women’s combined event at the 2023 International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Championships.
Kim finished fifth out of eight competitors with a total score of 106.2 points (14.1 bouldering + 92.1 lead) in the final of the women’s combined (bouldering + lead) event on Wednesday (Feb. 12) in Bern, Switzerland.
Janja Garnbret (Slovenia – 177 points), Yesika Pilz (Austria – 157.1 points) and Ai Mori (Japan – 140.6 points) finished in first through third place to qualify for the Paris Olympics, which will be awarded to the first through third place finishers at the Combined.
Kim, who qualified for the finals in eighth place after scoring 91.1 points in the semifinals, tied for second out of eight finalists in her main event, the lead, but finished fifth overall with a lowest score of 14.1 points in bouldering.
Her teammate Seo Chae-hyun (19-North Face Climbing Team-Seoul City Hall) finished 10th in the semifinals with 86.4 points, while Seo Ye-ju (17-Shin Jeong-go-53) finished 19th and failed to qualify for the final.
After failing to qualify for the Olympic Games at the World Championships, Kim and Seo will now compete at the Olympic Games Asia Qualifier in Jakarta, Indonesia, on November 9-12.
Only the first-place men’s and women’s finishers in each event will qualify for the Olympic Games in November at the 먹튀검증 Olympic Asian Qualification (speed-combined).