By Cho Mu-hyun
Korea’s Kim Ja-in won the gold medal at the Ninth International Federation of Sports Climbing (IFSC) Lead World Cup in Kranj, Slovenia, Monday. A total of 56 men and 37 women competed in the event
The climber won with 47 points in the women’s lead category, while her main rival Slovenia’s Mina Markovic finished just behind her on 44.
Kim successfully scaled the walls in the two qualifying rounds and the semifinal.
The 23-year-old ceded the No. 1 spot to Markovic in the world rankings earlier this year after she was denied the chance to compete at the United States World Cup by the Korean Alpine Federation (KAF) as it insisted she take part in a national tournament.
Her victory in Kranj saw her reclaim the top spot but the final rankings for this season will be determined by the tenth and final world cup to be held this weekend in Barcelona, Spain.