Kim Jain – The Real Wonder Girl

The first time we(Suz and Ben) saw Jain was in Krabi, 2002. We saw her flash Tidal Wave, 7b+. She took very long on the route, searching for holds, holding on to stuff which I didn’t think holdable before. Shortly after, she tried Asia Shadow Play (ASP), 8a+. She did it 2nd go. She was only 14.

Kim Jain

We saw her again in Italy 2008. She has been training in Hamburg, Germany with her brother Kim Jaha. Together with her brother’s family and baby, they drove all the way to compete in a World Cup bouldering event in Italy. She didn’t get into the finals.

In the last few years, Jain has dominated the Asian Championships, winning all the difficulty events since 2004. She has also won or garnered 2nd place in the Asian Championships bouldering events. But she didn’t stop there. Instead of resting on her laurels, she started competing at higher levels, and she kept at it, despite her initial poor showing.

Last weekend, she won her first world cup in difficulty. See results here.

I believe she is the first Asian woman to win a World Cup difficulty event. Congrats, and perhaps a World Cup title in 2010.