Lausanne, Switzerland, March 10, 2021: The International Federation of Sport Climbing has announced that the remaining two quota places for Tokyo 2020 will go to Korean duo Chon Jongwon and Seo Chaehyun. The two places were due to be awarded at last year’s IFSC Asian Championships.
The field of 40 athletes – 20 women and 20 men – is now complete for the combined sport climbing format of boulder, lead and speed in Tokyo.
Following the sport climbing qualification system, the two Korean climbers qualified via their respective placings in the combined event at the IFSC Climbing World Championships Hachioji 2019 – where Seo finished 13th in the women’s event and Chon 20th in the men’s event.
“Today we have concluded our qualification process. We know the names of our first Olympians and it is a great moment in our history,” said IFSC President Marco Scolaris.
“The 20 men and 20 women can now focus on Tokyo 2020 and inspire all people involved in the preparation of the Olympic Games despite the challenges the pandemic has brought.”
Newly-elected Korean Alpine Federation President Dr. Son Joong-ho added: “It is a real honour to receive such great news only one week after my official inauguration as President of the Korean Alpine Federation.
“I would like to thank the IFSC and the IFSC Asian Council for their outstanding support in the last few months.”
Chon, the 25-year-old climber from Seoul, has already won five World Cup gold medals in the boulder event since 2015 and has participated in a total of 61 World Cups and World Championships.
Seo, 17, made her World Cup debut in Villars (SUI) in 2019, winning silver in the lead event at only 15 years old. She went on to dominate the rest of the lead season with four consecutive World Cup victories – in Chamonix (FRA), Briançon (FRA), Xiamen (CHN) and Inzai (JPN) – along with the 2019 seasonal lead trophy.
Source: https://www.ifsc-climbing.org
