South Korea’s Lee Dohyun won his first world title in his hometown of Seoul taking the men’s Lead title as Janja Garnbret took her third women’s Lead gold.
On the seventh day of competition at the IFSC Climbing and Para Climbing World Championships 2025, home nation climber Lee gave the crowd something to remember as he won his first world title, and the first South Korean men’s World Championships medal in the Lead discipline.
Lee climbed to hold 43+ and as he was lowered to the ground glanced at the scoreboard to see that he was in the top spot. He celebrated as he had secured a medal, but as France’s Sam Avezou was still to come, he would have to wait to see what colour it would be.
As Avezou fell from the wall on hold 34+, Lee was stunned to know he had been crowned the world champion.
After his win Lee said: “I feel amazing. It’s my dream to win a World Championship, and it has come true. I’m lost for words. This is my hometown and my parents and friends are here so it means a lot.”
Lee won a medal in Boulder in the last World Championships and has more World Cup medals in the discipline, but Lead was where it all began: “When I was young I was a Lead climber and when I did Boulder my results were good, so I changed to Boulder, but I like to do both.”
On his chances of doing a Seoul double Lee said: “I’m not sure about winning another medal in Boulder, but I am confident in my Boulder, so I will just do my best.”
Lee overtook Yoshida Satone to take the gold which meant the Japanese climber had to settle for silver. Both climbers reached hold 43+ but due to his semi-final performance Lee edged it for the top spot.
Joining his teammate on the podium, Homma Taisei took the bronze medal climbing to hold 42+ which put him ahead of Spain’s Alberto Ginés López, again due to countback to the semi-final as they both made the same spot on the wall.
Lee, Yoshida and Homma’s medals were all the first in a World Championships for the climbers in the Lead discipline.
Another Japanese climber was in fifth with Neo Suzuki on hold 39+ ahead of Avezou who ended in sixth. The former world champion Jakob Schubert was going for his third gold in a row but a foot pop on hold 34 meant he finished in seventh ahead of Italy’s Giovanni Placci who was competing in his first ever world level final.
Full men’s Lead results can be found here
Janja Garnbret won her third Lead world title in style with the only top in the women’s final. Although it could have been so different as a nervous slip sent a gasp though the crowd: “I thought I was gone to be honest. I was trying to clip, and the right hold was super slippery and I was slipping mid clipping, but I thought I just have to clip and luckily I caught myself with the left hand and it all worked out in the end.”
That moment of unease came on a hold that could have been gold or silver depending on what the judges thought had she gone. But with the save, Garnbret carried on and the top never looked in doubt.
After her win Garnbret said: “This one feels extra special. After last year, the Olympic year, where the pressure was the highest, I didn’t know if I could handle another year with another important competition, but I am so glad I did this World Champs. My body was ready, and my mind was at peace with myself and whatever happened would happen, and it’s another world title and I am so excited.”
Despite winning, Garnbret still has one more day to go as she targets yet another world gold, this time in Boulder: “Today there is no time to celebrate. I’ll do that after tomorrow. The excitement is super high and I’m excited to get on the boulder wall tomorrow and do my best. I hope I will be able to sleep tonight as I will be buzzing in my bed, but I’m looking forward to tomorrows comp.”
Garnbret’s other World Championships wins came in Hachioji in 2019 and Paris in 2016. In Hachioji she was joined by Slovenian teammate Mia Krampl who took silver, and in Seoul there is yet another Slovenian standing next to the double Olympic champion on the podium, but this time it’s Rosa Rekar.
Rekar won the youth world title in 2024 and now has a senior World Championships silver to add to her collection. The Slovenian climbed to hold 45 for her medal and was ahead of another home nation favourite – Seo Chaehyun.
Seo won gold in 2021 and bronze last time around in 2023, and now she has a third medal with the bronze in her home country. Hold 44+ was enough for her place on the podium to give the Seoul crowd to medals to cheer at the medal ceremonies.
In fourth place was Great Britain’s Erin McNeice who climbed to hold 44. USA’s Annie Sanders was fifth on hold 42+ and was ahead of France’s Zélia Avezou who was sixth on hold 35+.
The third Slovenian in the final was Lucka Rakovec who made it to hold 30 for seventh place with Austria’s Flora Oblasser rounding out the top eight on hold 29+.
Full women’s Lead results can be found here
Attention for the two winners, and all the Boulder climbers in Seoul turns to the semi-finals and finals on the last two days of competition. The women are up first and will crown their winners tomorrow before the final day closes with the men’s competition.
News and updates about the event will be available on the IFSC website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Bilibili, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.