Chaehyun Seo second woman to onsight 8c, L’Antagonista at Montsant in Spain

Last week 19-year-old Chaehyun Seo from South Korea redpointed La Rambla at Siurana in Spain and, as we wrote in our news report, the speed with which she dispatched one of the world's most coveted 9a+ indicated that much more lay in store.

Much more is no longer hypothetical, but an extremely tangible onsight of L’Antagonista at nearby Montsant which places the 2021 World Champion as only the second woman in the world to onsight 8c. The first being Janja Garnbret, who onsighted Fish Eye at Oliana in Spain in November 2021 and doubled this up two days later by onsighting the 8c American Hustle. Garnbret has been shaping the pinnacle of this sport to her will for the last decade, but this undisturbed hegemony now seems set to change.

Seo entered the history books by spending almost an hour giving it all she had to onsight L’Antagonista, shortly after having clipped the chains of Hidrofobia (8b/+) in the same style. Her sojourn in Spain is rapidly coming to an end but there can be no doubt that these are exciting times for the cutting-edge of women's sport climbing.