Tokyo, 12 August, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s 19-year-old Ai Mori punched her ticket for her first Olympic appearance in Paris in sport climbing on Friday after winning bronze in the women’s combined at the world championships.
Mori became the first climber from Japan to secure a place in next summer’s games after bouncing back from sixth in boulder by finishing top in lead in Bern, logging 140.6 points in total in the eight-woman final.
“It’s great to finish in the best way possible like this,” Mori said after securing the podium finish required to nail an Olympic spot. “I could exert my power in important moments as well and felt my growth.”
Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret topped boulder and came second in lead to score 177.0 to win gold. She won the Tokyo Olympics gold in 2021 when the sports climbing competition was a combination of three disciplines, including speed, which will be contested separately in Paris.
Austria’s Jessica Pilz came third in boulder and fourth in lead for 157.1 and silver in the Swiss capital, while Japan’s Miho Nonaka, the silver medalist at the Tokyo Games, settled for seventh overall.
