The Lead competition at the IFSC Climbing and Para Climbing World Championships 2025 will feature the most successful athletes in history, in both the men’s and women’s categories.
GARNBRET, SCHUBERT CHASE MORE HISTORY
Currently with the edge in total medals across the disciplines, Austria’s Jakob Schubert has 11 total medals with six gold, but edging the gold count Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret has eight with a total of 10. Both will be hoping to add to their tallies in Seoul, and few would bet against them to do it.
Schubert is the current Lead world champion winning in Bern, Switzerland in 2023, but Garnbret will be out to reclaim her crown after finishing with a silver medal. The women’s champion Mori Ai will not be in Seoul, but no matter who competes, Garnbret wants to beat them.
KIM, SEO LEAD THE HOME TEAM
A multiple world champion and a legend of the sport, Kim Jain will be in front of her home crowd alongside Seo Chaehyun. Kim has the experience competing at her first World Championships before the IFSC even existed in 2005, but Seo is the in-form climber with two golds and two silver medals from the 2025 series. Seo also won bronze in Bern last time out.
YOUTH AND DEPTH IN THE WOMEN’S FIELD
When you talk about form climbers you have to mention USA’s Annie Sanders and Great Britain’s Erin McNeice. Both won World Cup’s and featured on multiple podiums in 2025 with McNeice also winning the overall title.
Italy’s Laura Rogora also has multiple podiums and was third in the overall, while climbers like Belgium’s Heloïse Doumont and Spain’s Geila Macià Martín have had a bit of a breakout year making finals.
Having Garnbret in your team often taking the headlines means sometimes climbers can slip under the radar, but the Slovenian women have a strong team with climbers like youth world champions Rosa Rekar, two-time Olympian Mia Krampl, and the returning Lucka Rakovec all doing well at the World Cups. Rakovec’s return has been even more incredible following a long absence with thyroid cancer that thankfully is now under control.
GINÉS LÓPEZ AND ONDRA HEADLINE THE MEN
For the men, undoubtedly the form climber is Spain’s Alberto Ginés López who made the podium at every Lead World Cup this season and taking the overall title.
Like Kim, another legend status climber, Czechia’s Adam Ondra will be aiming for more World Championships success now that he is solely focusing on the Lead discipline.
FRANCE, JAPAN STACK THEIR LINEUPS
Japan’s Anraku Sorato took silver in Bern behind Schubert and once again has had a strong year winning three Lead World Cup’s. The Olympic silver medallist will be on a strong team of Japanese climbers that includes World Cup winners Suzuki Neo and Yoshida Satone.
France’s Max Bertone won a World Cup medal as did Italy’s Filip Schenk who claimed his first in 2025. With another first, Indonesia’s Putra Tri Ramadani made his first final at the last Lead World Cup of the season, and if the old sporting cliché of ‘you are only as good as your last race’ applies, then Ramadani will be hoping for a good competition in Seoul.
BRITISH TALENT LOOKING FOR MORE
Climbers like USA’s Jesse Grupper and Colin Duffy, and Switzerland’s Sascha Lehmann and Jonas Utelli will be hoping to replicate their World Cup outings, and who can forget the Olympic champion, Great Britain’s Toby Roberts.
Roberts has had an up and down season in 2025 but has visited the Lead World Cup podium twice with a silver and a bronze. The British climber will be hoping for more Olympic form to push for a world medal.