On July 7th, Ashima Shiraishi took a 45-foot ground fall at the Stone Summit climbing gym in Kennesaw, Georgia, according to Rock and Ice. Her father Hisatoshi Shiraishi was belaying her at the time of the accident.
Shiraishi, at 15 years old is considered one of the best climbers in the world, was training at the gym in preparation for the upcoming Youth Sport National Championship. Mr. Chiraishi is not only her father but also her coach and mentor. Though not a climber himself, he is an experienced belayer.
Her agent Jonathan Retseck told Rock and Ice, “She’s doing really well. She’s been up and walking around. She’s super sore and her back is bruised, but she’s recovering.”
The article went on to say:
Though well versed with a belay device, Hisatoshi Shiraishi succumbed to an all-too-common user error. According to Retseck, he accidently clasped down on the Grigri 2’s brake release lever that he was using to belay Ashima, which caused her to drop 45-feet to the padded floor.
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