Mori claims maiden boulder title at World Climbing Asia Championship

Ai Mori led Japan to a podium sweep in the women's boulder event at the 2026 World Climbing Asia Championship in Meishan on Friday, while Lee Do-hyun of South Korea clinched the men's title.

Mori completed all four routes in just one attempt each, scoring a perfect 100.0 points to claim her first-ever international boulder title.

"I think today's four routes suited my climbing style," said the 22-year-old, whose last boulder podium came at the Wujiang World Cup in 2022. "I believe I can still become much stronger, and there are many areas I need to improve. I don't want to be satisfied with this result. I want to aim even higher."

The victory earned Mori a boulder quota for the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. She will compete for a lead quota in the following days, and she already has her sights set on a double gold.

"I also want to earn a spot in lead climbing and aim to win both boulder and lead golds at the Asian Games," she added.

Melody Sekikawa took silver with 85.0 points, topping three routes and reaching the scoring zone on the other. Futaba Ito, who climbed last, completed the fourth route with just seconds left, edging China's Luo Zhilu to secure bronze. Another Chinese climber, Zhang Yuetong, finished seventh.

In the men's event, Lee topped all four routes to secure gold with 99.9 points. Japanese veteran Tomoa Narasaki completed three routes and a zone finish to take silver with 84.1 points, followed by compatriot Keita Dohi, who claimed bronze with 74.8 points. China's Pan Yufei and Hu Junzhe finished fourth and sixth, respectively.

"I can feel my ability has improved a lot," Pan said. "On some routes in the semifinal and final, I didn't think I could top them in one go, but my body just responded. I had reached the top before I knew it."

"I think my ability and my confidence haven't fully matched yet. My body is actually stronger than I think," added the 25-year-old.

The Asian Championship, serving as the final qualification event for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, runs from April 8 to 12, with a total of 71 quotas up for grabs across the men's and women's boulder, lead, and speed events.