Introduction

Japanese prodigy Ai Mori took everyone outside of the youth circuit and her home country by surprise when she placed 3rd in the IFSC Lead World Cup Villars in 2019. Although she was already an Asian and World Youth Champion, Mori's rapid rise to the podium, hot on the heels of Janja Garnbret and Chaehyun Seo, made her one to watch for the rest of that season and ever since. As one of few women to have beaten reigning Olympic champion Garnbret in Lead - and one of fewer still to have done so on multiple occasions - Mori is an exceptional athlete who has often been overshadowed by Garnbret's dominance. In 2022, she came into her own, beating Garnbret on home turf in the IFSC Lead World Cup in Koper, Slovenia, in what was her first international event since 2020. She repeated the feat a week later in Edinburgh, confirming that her bronze in 2019 was a sign of things to come and that her win in Koper was not a fluke.

Mori comes into her own on endurance-based routes due to her static cimbing style, but is occasionally stumped by powerful, dynamic moves. She rarely seems fazed by the pressure of competition - despite coming from a huge depth of talent in Team Japan - and often mentions that her goal is not to beat others, but to reach the Top of the routes and boulders first and foremost.

In 2023, she won the IFSC Lead World Championships in Bern, becoming the first Japanese athlete to win a World Championship title in Lead. Mori expressed her disappointment at missing out on qualification for her home Games in Tokyo 2020 and her ambition to win gold in Paris 2024—something her Olympic bronze medallist teammate and mentor Akiyo Noguchi has publicly stated that she is capable of. 

Qualification route

IFSC World Championships Bern 2023 Combined - 3rd Place

Mori looked set for a silver medal following consistent performances in qualifiers and semis (and beating Garnbret in Lead in both rounds), but she struggled in the Boulder round. Mori redeemed herself on the Lead final route, beating Garnbret once again and finishing in 3rd place.

Trivia

Mori also has a younger brother who competes in climbing. She is also a university student and took time out for her studies ahead of the 2022 season. 

UKC prediction

Mori has the potential to win Olympic gold if she can keep up in the Boulder round and excel in Lead — but a powerful Lead route could be to her disadvantage.