South Korean pianist Lim Yun-chan has won the top prize in a prestigious international piano competition, becoming the youngest gold medal winner in the 60-year history of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Lim, the 18-year-old student at the Korea National University of Arts, clinched the top prize in the finals of the international competition in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday.

Lim, who performed two concertos with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, received the highest score in the finals, defeating five other finalists. The silver and bronze medals went to Russian pianist Anna Geniushene and Ukrainian pianist Dmytro Choni, respectively.

As the top prize winner, Lim secured 100-thousand U.S. dollars in prize money, international concert bookings and management for three years and more.

The Van Cliburn competition, one of the world's most prestigious classical music contests, was launched in 1962 in honor of American pianist Van Cliburn, who won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958.