‘Mom Climber’ Kim Jain, 35, has won her 30th career World Cup lead gold medal.
Kim posted a 43+ to win the women’s lead final at the ninth edition of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup 2023 in Chamonix, France, on Tuesday (July 10), ahead of Japan’s Nonoha Kume (38+).
She had earlier qualified for the semifinals in sixth place and finished fourth. Kim was the fifth of eight finalists to land the route. With dynamic moves and a calm approach to the climb, Kim held on to holds 37 and 38 that her competitors struggled with before finishing with a final score of 43+.
Kim won his first World Cup title in four years after the 2019 Inzai World Cup in Japan. It was her 30th career World Cup lead, starting with her first title in 2009 in Brno, Czech Republic. According to the IFSC, Kim is the first man or woman to win 30 gold medals in a single World Cup event. Kim, who also won gold in bouldering at the 2011 World Cup, has now won 31 gold medals at World Cups 즉시지급.
Kim Jae-in felt the thrill of her first gold medal since becoming a “mom climber. Kim gave birth to her daughter, Gyu-ah, in 2021 after seven years of marriage. At the Tokyo Olympics that summer, she was a commentator, not an athlete. Not wanting to say, “I quit when Gyu-ah was born,” when her daughter later asked, “Why did you retire?” Kim trained tirelessly to make it to Paris. At home, she did pull-ups with her 11-kilogram daughter in a baby carrier.
After failing to qualify for the 2022 Games in her first attempt after giving birth, Kim returned to the national team this year. After partially tearing a ligament in her finger in training a week before the trials, she received an injection and competed, placing third. After dropping her daughter off at daycare, Kim runs about 8.6 kilometers to the indoor climbing wall (Rockland) in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, which she runs.
“Winning a gold medal, my first medal as a mom, was not something I expected at all,” says Kim. I’m actually more nervous than when I won my first gold medal.” “I think it was a gift that I was able to receive because I cherished every moment and put my heart into it. I am grateful for the challenges ahead and want to do my best.” In August, Kim will step up her preparations for the 2023 World Championships in Bern, where a direct ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is up for grabs.