Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) - Almost 13 years after she scaled her first Himalayan peak, Gasherbrum II, South Korean mountaineer Oh Eun-sun has become the first woman to scale all 14 mountains of the world above 8,000 meters in height. She had to crawl on all fours to reach the 14th peak, Annapurna, in the Himalayas on Tuesday.
After waving her national flag, 44-year-old Oh couldn’t control her emotions while shouting “Victory!” She completed the distance from the base camp to the summit in 13 hours, beating her Spanish rival Edurne Pasaban to create the world record.
Oh made an attempt last year to scale the peak, which stands 26,545 feet above sea level, but her efforts were wasted due to bad weather and she had to give up just hundreds of yards from the summit. While snow and wind also played havoc with her trekking expedition last weekend, Oh’s determination finally won over the natural forces.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sent her a congratulatory message, which said, “South Koreans are awakened to her great spirits of challenge. She is really great and I’m proud of her.”
Speaking to the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), a visibly elated Oh said, “I am so happy, and I would like to share this joy with the South Korean people.”
The world mountaineering fraternity has applauded Oh's achievement with good wishes pouring in for her from all corners of the world.
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