NAGOYA - Japan's Ai Mori took silver in the women's sport climbing boulder event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, finishing just 0.2 point behind China's Zhang Yuetong, who won gold.
Mori, who competed at the Paris Olympics in 2024, scored 84.8 points to Zhang's 85.0 at Portmesse Nagoya. South Korea's Seo Chae Hyun finished third.
The decisive difference came on the third problem. While Mori topped it, she fell short of the full 25 points earned by Zhang. Both climbers scored 10 points on the fourth problem.
"Although I'm happy to have won a medal, I really wanted to finish it off in my final attempt," Mori told reporters. "I felt it was within reach, so right now the disappointment outweighs the joy."
"There are still many areas where I need to improve," Mori added. "I don't want to be satisfied with this result. I'll put this behind me and focus on the lead competition, where I'll be aiming for the gold medal."
The 23-year-old won gold at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, when boulder and lead were contested in a combined format.
Another Japanese competitor, Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Miho Nonaka, finished sixth in the eight-woman final.
Nonaka and Mori advanced to the final after finishing second and sixth, respectively, in Wednesday's semifinals.
