Seo Chaehyun Wins Bronze in Lead at the 2026 Koper World Cup in Sport Climbing

National sport climbing team member Seo Chaehyun won the bronze medal in the women’s lead event at the ‘2026 World Climbing Series Koper’ held in Koper, Slovenia.

Seo Chaehyun advanced to the semifinals after ranking second in the qualifiers, which were held on the 4th and 5th. In the semifinals, she again took second place with a score of 45+, earning a spot in the final.

In the final, she achieved a score of 32+, which secured her third place overall. The gold medal went to Janja Garnbret, who scored 42+ in the final, while Brooke Raboutou from the United States took silver with a score of 33.

Suh Chaehyun is competing in the women's lead event at the '2026 World Climbing Series Koper' held on the 5th in Koper, Slovenia. Korea Alpine Federation

Seo Chaehyun tied with Annie Sanders of the United States, both scoring 32+, but Seo took the bronze thanks to her higher ranking in the semifinals.

With this bronze medal, Seo Chaehyun has reached the podium at all five women’s lead events of the 2026 World Climbing Series she has participated in this season. Following her bronze in Wujiang, she won silver in Prague, bronze medals in Innsbruck and Chamonix, and added another bronze here in Koper, bringing her season tally to five medals.

Notably, by finishing third in this competition, which featured many of the world’s top athletes ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Seo Chaehyun has heightened expectations for a medal at the upcoming Asian Games.

Scene from the Women's Lead Award Ceremony. From the right: Chaehyun Seo, Janja Garnbret, Brooke Raboutou. Korea Alpine Federation

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.