Seo Chae-hyun (Korean: 서채현, born November 1, 2003), also known as Chaehyun Seo, is a South Korean professional rock climber who specializes in competition climbing. She won the overall 2019 World Cup title in competition lead climbing in her senior debut season.[2] In 2021 she won the IFSC World Championship in lead climbing.[3] Seo is a two-time Olympian, having represented South Korea at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.[4][5]
 Seo in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | South Korean | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 1, 2003 Seoul, South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 50 kg (110 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Highest grade | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Known for | Winning the overall World Cup for lead in her debut season | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on April 24, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seo Chae-hyun | |
| Hangul | 서채현 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | Seo Chae-hyeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏ Ch'ae-hyŏn |
Early life
Seo was born into a family of climbers. She started climbing in 2008. Her father owns a climbing gym in Seoul.
Climbing career
Rock climbing
In 2018, aged 14, Seo redpointed the 9a (5.14d) graded sport climbing route, Bad Girls Club, at the Wicked Cave, near Rifle, Colorado.[6] On November 22, 2022, aged 19, Seo redpointed the famous 9a+ (5.15a) graded Spanish sport climb, La Rambla, becoming the second-ever woman to redpoint the route.[7][8] During that same trip to Spain, Seo onsighted the 8c (5.14b) graded route, L'Antagonista, in Serra de Montsant, becoming the second-ever female to on-sight a route at that grade.[9]
Competition climbing
In 2019, she made her IFSC Climbing World Cup debut and won the Lead World Cup season title ahead of Slovenia's Janja Garnbret and Japan's Natsuki Tanii by earning four gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal; medalling in all six lead events.[10] In November of that year she participated in the 2019 Asian Championships, winning gold in both lead and bouldering disciplines.[11] She qualified for the first appearance of sport climbing at the Summer Olympics via her placement in the combined event at the 2019 IFSC Climbing World Championships.[12]
In August 2021, aged 17, Seo competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics where she made the final round and finished in eighth place overall.[13] A month later she went on to win the World Championship in lead climbing.[14]
In 2022, Seo finished the 2022 IFSC World Cup season placed second overall in lead, having earned three silver medals and two bronze medals.[15] She also won gold medals in lead and combined along with a bronze medal in bouldering at the 2022 Asian Championships.[16]
In 2023, Seo finished third in lead at the World Championships.[17] She also represented South Korea at the 2022 Asian Games where she received the silver medal in the women’s combined competition.[18]
Seo qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics through the Olympic Qualifier Series. In August 2024, she made her second Olympic Games appearance, competing in the newly reformatted women's combined event where she made the final round and finished in sixth place overall.[19]
Rankings
| [20] | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 1 | 17 | 2 | 7 |
| Bouldering | – | – | 10 | 10 |
| Speed | 80 | – | – | – |
| Combined | – | – | – | – |
| [20] | 2019 | 2021 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Bouldering | 13 | 37 | 45 |
| Speed | 50 | – | – |
| Combined | 13 | – | 10 |
| [20] | 2019 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | 1 | 1 |
| Bouldering | 1 | 3 |
| Speed | 15 | – |
| Combined | 4 | 1 |
World Cup podiums
Lead
| Season[20] | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Total | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
Bouldering
| Season[20] | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 1 | 1 |
Combined (Bouldering & Lead)
| Season[20] | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 1 | 1 |
Television
| Year | Program | Original title | Network | Role | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Sporty Sisters 2 | 노는언니2 | E Channel | Guest | Ep. 5, 6, 7 | [21][22] |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Chaehyun Seo Redpoints La Rambla (5.15a) and Onsights 5.14b". climbing.com. November 30, 2022.
- ^ "'제2의 김자인' 고교생 서채현 떴다". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). 2019-07-21. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
- ^ "Seo Chaehyun and Jakob Schubert crowned Lead World Champions 2021". Planet Mountain. 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- ^ "[Tokyo Olympcis] S. Korean Seo Chae-hyun reaches finals of women's sport climbing". The Korea Herald. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ "(Olympics) Sport climber Seo Chae-hyun advances to final in women's combined event". Yonhap News Agency. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
- ^ Burgman, John (22 August 2018). "The Korean Crusher: Chaehyeon Seo Sends 5.14d at Age 14". Climbing Magazine. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
- ^ "La Rambla 9a+(5.15a)". instagram.com. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
- ^ "Chaehyun Seo repeats La Rambla (9a+) at Siurana". planetmountain.com. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
- ^ "Chaehyun Seo second woman to onsight 8c, L'Antagonista at Montsant in Spain". PlanetMountain. 27 November 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ "IFSC CLIMBING WORLD CUP 2019: W O M E N LEAD".
- ^ "ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - BOGOR (INA) 2019".
- ^ "Who Is Chaehyun Seo? – Korea's Strongest At Just 17!". Climber News. 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Seo Chae-hyun finishes 8th in women's sport climbing at Tokyo Olympics". Korea Times. 2021-08-06. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ "Seo Chaehyun and Jakob Schubert crowned Lead World Champions 2021". Planet Mountain. 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ^ "IFSC Climbing World Cup Results". IFSC. 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "IFSC Asia - Continental Championships (B, L, S, B&L) - Republic of Korea 2022". IFSC. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "Ai Mori and Jakob Schubert Win Lead Climbing World Championships". Gripped Indoor Climbing. 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Asian Games 2023 sport climbing: World number two Mori Ai wins women's boulder & lead combined title after final cancelled". Olympics. 2023-10-07. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ "Seo Chae-hyun finishes 6th in women's sport climbing". The Korea Times. 2024-08-10. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ a b c d e f IFSC, ed. (April 14, 2024). "Chaehyun Seo Athlete Profile". Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "노는언니2". www.imtcast.com. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ "미리보기 > 노는언니2". www.imtcast.com. Retrieved 2021-10-16.