Veteran climber Kim Ja-in set for Seoul World Championships

Kim Ja-in has been named ambassador for the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Championships, the first to be held in South Korea. Kim holds the record for the most victories in IFSC World Cup history, with 31 titles, including 30 in lead climbing and one in bouldering.

What is surprising, however, is that Kim will also compete in the tournament. Kim is the only athlete from the 2005 Munich World Championships, which was her first world championship appearance, who is still competing at this year’s event. At a press conference on Aug. 21 at the Olympic Parktel in Songpa District, Seoul, a month ahead of the 2025 Seoul World Championships, which opens on Sept. 20, Kim said with a smile, “I will give my best in both promotion and climbing.”

Kim’s history of competing in the World Championships marks a milestone in South Korean climbing. The IFSC World Championships are held every two years. Between 2005 and 2023, Kim participated in 10 of the 11 tournaments, skipping only the 2021 Moscow event due to pregnancy and childbirth. She won one gold medal in 2014, three silver medals in 2009, 2011, and 2012, and one bronze in 2018.

Even for Kim, securing a spot in this year’s championships was not easy. The IFSC allocates five entries per discipline to the host country. Kim finished seventh in lead climbing at the national team selection in March, missing the initial allocation. However, she claimed the final spot after two higher-ranked athletes withdrew from the competition.

At 37, Kim is the oldest of roughly 1,000 athletes from 60 countries competing in this year’s championships. “Just being here as a competitor is an honor,” she said. “It may be the first and last time I compete in a World Championship held in South Korea, so I will give my best. Even if I retired tomorrow, it wouldn’t be surprising, but I don’t consider this tournament to be my final one.”

She continued, “Physically, I don’t feel a significant difference. What has changed is the environment. I can’t fully focus as an athlete because I have to balance parenting. But this is another valuable part of my life. Training time is inevitably shorter, but I am making up for it by training with greater focus.”

Kim, who gave birth to her daughter Oh Gyu-ah in 2021, seven years after her marriage, announced her continued competitiveness by winning gold at the 2023 Chamonix World Cup. “Becoming a mother could have been a reason to retire, but it also gave me the desire to challenge myself once more,” she said. “I think I’ve continued this far with the goal of competing in the Olympics.”

Climbing became an official Olympic sport at the 2021 Tokyo Games, but Kim has yet to compete on the Olympic stage and will also miss the 2024 Paris Games. “I want to challenge myself at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” she said. “I know it might be too soon to think about it, but the moment I’m climbing is the most enjoyable and fulfilling. As long as I have the strength to climb, I want to give my best.”

South Korea will compete for medals in all three disciplines, lead, bouldering, and speed, at the World Championships, held Sept. 20–28 at Olympic Park in Songpa District, Seoul. Seo Chae-hyun, 22, is ranked third in the world in women’s lead, while Jeong Ji-min, 21, is sixth in women’s speed, making them strong medal contenders. Lee Do-hyeon, 22, ranked second in men’s bouldering and fourth in lead, is aiming for two titles at the tournament.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com