How Garnbret won Lead gold in Seoul
Garnbret led the way in the semi-finals earlier on Friday and was therefore the last of the eight finalists to tackle the 15m wall in the evening.
As she waited to take to the stage, her compatriot Rekar led the way at the halfway point of the final, reaching hold 45 to overtake France’s Zélia Avezou in the standings.
Rekar edged closer to a guaranteed podium place when USA’s Annie Sanders scored 42+ to slot into second.
And then it was time for the final three, with this year’s Lead World Cup winner Erin McNeice targeting a first world championship medal.
The British climber had 30 seconds left on the clock to leapfrog Rekar, but like Sanders the 21-year-old fell just shy with a 44.
That ensured Rekar would win a medal, but what colour was dependant on the home hope and the sport’s GOAT.
Next out was the home hope, with Seo coming out to huge cheers inside the KSPO Dome as she looked to win a second world Lead title.
It was not to be, but still Seo secured a medal with a 44+ as she narrowly failed to make the hold Rekar had reached.
This gave promise of a Slovenia 1-2, but only if Garnbret delivered – and she did just that after recovering from a slight wobble to become the only climber to make the top hold.
“I thought I was gone too to be honest,” she admitted. “I was trying to clip but the right hold was super slippery, so I was slipping mid-clip, so I just caught myself with the left hand and it worked out in the end.”