SHAOXING, China, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- World champion Ai Mori of Japan was awarded her first Asiad gold medal in line with the semifinal results after the women's boulder and lead final were canceled due to heavy rain at Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan Sport Climbing Center on Saturday.
The final, which was scheduled to take place at 6:28 p.m. on Saturday, was first delayed. With the rain showing no sign of a halt, a communication was released to call off the final.
"After checking the condition of the wall, chief route-setter made the decision along with the technical delegate and the jury president," said Li Guowei, deputy general manager of the competition.
"It's a shame that we couldn't have our final tonight, but for the sake of the climbers' safety, the decision has to be made," added Li.
According to rules released by the International Federation of Sport Climbing, the medals were to be awarded based on the rankings in the semifinal. Mori, who tied with Seo Chae-hyun in the semi with an identical 199.73 points, won on count-back thanks to her qualification ranking.
"I got the medal at my first Asian Games, but I still want to show a better performance in the final. I really want to win the gold medal, but it's part of the race," said Seo after the awards ceremony. "Even if I couldn't get the gold in the final, I still want to try these routes. It's a pity," she added.
Bronze medalist Zhang Yuetong of China, who is making her Asian Games debut, expressed similar emotions.
"I am satisfied with my semifinal as I did my best to climb, but when I saw the routes for the final on the wall, I felt the urge to try them," said Zhang.
Mori, on the other hand, said she had already had good climbing experience during the qualifiers and the semis.
"I had a great experience and showing in the first two rounds and I now know what to expect when I participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games," said the 20-year-old. "The support and cheers I had while climbing was also great and I'm looking forward to coming back here again to climb,"
Both Zhang and Seo also indicated they would work on their boulder climbing ahead of the Paris 2024 qualifying session. ■
