A first or 30th World Cup climbing win – the feeling is still the same
Kim Jain of Republic of Korea and Toby Roberts of Great Britain had very different pathways to top the podium in the women's and men's editions of the lead competition in Chamonix in June, but their elation was identical.
Sport Climbing
"Happy." "Amazing." "Unbelievable."
"Incredible." "Lost for words." "Pumped."
Looking at these adjectives from the two winners of the last IFSC Climbing World Cup in the women's and men's lead competition in Chamonix, France in July, you wouldn't be able to work out which of them had won their 30th event, and which their first.
That's because that winning feeling is the same no matter when it comes.
But for the experienced Republic of Korea climber, Kim Jain, and Britain's newcomer to the top step in the discipline, Toby Roberts, their journeys to the same feeling could not have been more dissimilar.
Comeback climbing queen Kim Jain
It had been nearly four years since climbing icon Kim Jain, a two-time world champion, had retired from the sport. But late in 2022, the now 34-year-old mother of two-year-old daughter, Kyua, started to make an appearance at low-key events in her home country.
The results were impressive for a climber returning from a lengthy absence, but not comparative to previous form, which had seen Kim claim more than 60 medals on the World Cup circuit – including 29 golds in lead climbing alone.
Her own concern that she was doing the right thing peppered her Instagram account, even as recently as 9 June. Following four events in the bouldering discipline – where athletes climb 4.5 m high walls without ropes, in a limited period of time and in the fewest attempts possible – Kim questioned herself as to whether returning was the right thing to do after a best result of 25th in the fourth of five bouldering events so far in the 2023 season.
"The feeling that I'm not able to read the trend of bouldering routes that are constantly changing, the feeling that I've been accustomed to for too long and can't change the safe style, and the feeling that I can't overcome the limits of reach is greater. That's why I'm so frustrated sometimes, I look at pictures and videos of Kyua who I can't hug every day and doubt whether I'm on the right path."
However, that all changed at the first lead climbing event of the 2023 season, in Chamonix when Kim took to the wall in her specialist discipline, where athletes climb with a rope as high as they can on a wall over 15m high in six minutes without having seen the route ahead of time.
Yes, a number of the big names such as Olympic champion Janja Garnbret and Team USA’s Brooke Raboutou and Natalia Grossman opted out of the competition, saving themselves for the upcoming World Championships in Switzerland in August, but Kim still had athletes half her age to contend with, including compatriot and favourite, Seo Chaehyun, a Tokyo 2020 Olympian.
Seo was up last but missed a clip and had to abandon her climb, with Kim spending more time consoling her younger teammate than celebrating her own win.
When the win did sink in, in which she beat Japan's Kume Nonoha into silver and France's Hélène Janicot, third, her emotions swirled, writing on Instagram:
"When I realised my unexpected 30th Lead World Cup victory, the initial emotions I felt were sadness. However, the belief that both Chaehyun and I will continue to grow could make me remain strong.
"Receiving more congratulations and messages of inspiration from my climbing and victory than any other win I have experienced before, I also questioned whether I truly deserve such celebrations and messages. Nevertheless, I feel happy to receive such great gifts because I have always put in sincere and consistent effort with a desperate mind.
"I will face my future challenges with gratitude and give my everything until the end."
Taste for climbing gold for Toby Roberts
In 2009, when Kim won her first lead gold medal, also at iconic Chamonix, Brit Toby Roberts was in his first year at school.
By age 18, Roberts was himself in Chamonix, having trouble with the interview following his first ever World Cup top step in lead climbing – second ever after a win in bouldering the previous month – with "no words" to describe how he was feeling.
When words did begin to formulate, Roberts was able to articulate them in an interview with world governing body, the IFSC:
"Topping the final route in front of the huge Chamonix crowd is a moment I’ll never forget. Having heard so many great things about this competition over the years to finally be here feels surreal and coming home with a gold still hasn’t sunk in."
Roberts first came to notice in the climbing community after becoming the youngest Brit to climb the increasingly difficult 8a, 8b, 9a and 9a/+ outdoors routes – between the ages of 10 and 16 to boot. The 2022 season proved a precursor to 2023 and saw Roberts become the first Brit in 28 years to win a lead World Cup medal, at just 17 years old.
The teenager has a chance to emulate Brit climber, Shauna Coxsey, in competing at an Olympic Games with Paris 2024 very much on the radar.
Coxsey, now retired from competitive climbing, has been the standout name in British climbing for years, becoming the first and so far only British climber to compete at an Olympic Games after the sport made it debut at Tokyo 2020.
Roberts no doubt wants to become the second, and also emulate or improve upon Coxsey's legacy of two-time Bouldering World Cup Season champion and two-time world bronze medallist.
But for now, the joy of winning on the international stage has gripped Roberts.
"This is my last competition before the World Championships in Bern - I feel in good shape and I’m so psyched to get going."
No matter the number of wins – 'that feeling' is what the athletes strive every sinew for and the World Championship in Bern, Switzerland, taking place 1-12 August, offers a bigger platform for even more amplified feelings.
Some big-name climbers will again be missing from the World Cup in Briançon, France, taking place from Friday 14 to Saturday 15 July, with the nearness of the worlds in mind, but there are also those reluctant to miss out an additional opportunity for glory.
That winning feeling is hard to resist.