Lee and Garnbret Take Lead World Titles

Summary of the IFSC Climbing World Championships – Seoul 2023 (Lead & Initial Boulder Preview)

This article reports on the results of the Men’s and Women’s Lead finals at the IFSC Climbing World Championships in Seoul, 2023, and briefly previews the upcoming Boulder competition.

Men’s Lead:

* Lee Do-hyun (South Korea) won gold, marking the first-ever World Championship medal for a South Korean man in the Lead discipline. He reached hold 43+ and won on countback (semi-final performance) over Yoshida Satone.
* Yoshida Satone (Japan) took silver, also reaching hold 43+.
* Homma Taisei (Japan) won bronze, reaching hold 42+ and winning on countback over Alberto Ginés López.
* This was a first World Championship medal in Lead for all three medalists.
* Notable performances: Jakob Schubert, a former world champion, finished 7th.
* Lee Do-hyun previously medaled in Boulder but started as a Lead climber. He is confident in his Boulder abilities and will compete for another medal.

Women’s Lead:

* Janja Garnbret (Slovenia) won her third Lead world title, being the only climber to reach the top of the wall.
* She overcame a near-fall during her climb but managed to recover and secure the win.
* Garnbret expressed relief and happiness, stating the win felt “extra special” after the pressure of the Olympics.
* She is now focused on competing in the Boulder discipline the following day.

Further Information:

* full men’s Lead results are available at: https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/events/ifsc-climbing-world-championships-seoul-2025/results/index?discipline=lead&category=men