Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Birmingham (USA):The World Games Birmingham 2022 came to a close with medals confirmed across all the Sport Climbing disciplines- Boulder, Lead, and Speed. In the 11th edition of the multi-sport event, and the fifth appearance for Climbing, there were six gold medals spread across six competing nations in Alabama, USA.  HUNT AND LEONARDO RULE SPEED USA’s Emma Hunt pleased her home crowd with a win in the women’s speed, a feat that also gained her Athlete of the Day status from the event organizers. The former Youth Worlds champion impressively beat the current world champion, Poland’s Natalia, in the final with a time of 7.24 compared to the silver medalists. Bronze was taken by Germany’s Franziska Ritter, who narrowly beat French Capucine by just 0.06 seconds. Leonardo won an all-Indonesian final against teammate Kiromal Katibin in the men’s speed competition to take gold. Katibin has been breaking the world speed record on a consistent basis recently, but had to settle for a silver medal as he was unable to register a time in the final. Leonardo clocked 7.23 to take the top step of the podium. The Indonesian climbers were joined by bronze medallist Yaroslav of Ukraine, who again won a tight medal race against Kazakhstan's Rishat by just 0.04 seconds. JAPAN DOMINATES BOULDER WITH FOUR MEDALS At The World Games 2017, Japan’s Nonaka Miho took a silver medal. This time around, the Olympic silver medallist upgraded to gold. The Japanese climber won a competitive women’s Boulder event beating second-placed Katja of Slovenia and compatriot Nakamura Mao. There were also two Japanese medallists in the men’s event, but this time no gold for The World Games 2017 gold medallist Ogata Yoshiyuki, who had to settle for a bronze. Fujii Kokoro and Belgium’s part-time climber Nicolas Collin were the competition standouts topping all four problems in the final. Tied all the way, Kokoro and Collin had to be separated by attempts with the Belgian coming out on top to take the gold. The nursing student only just made the finals in sixth position but showed his class in the final to take the top step above his two Japanese rivals. PILZ AND LEHMANN CELEBRATE LEAD GOLDS A week after topping the Lead final route at the IFSC World Cup in Chamonix, France, missing out on a medal in fourth place, Austria’s Jessica Pilz proudly stood on the top step of the World Games podium with a gold medal around her neck. She was joined on the women’s Lead podium by Tanii Natsuki of Japan who claimed silver ahead of Slovenia’s Lana Skusek in bronze.

Sports Bulletin Report Birmingham (USA):-The International World Games Association (IWGA) has named Speed climber Emma Hunt of the USA female Athlete of the Day at The World Games Birmingham 2022 for 15 July. The Woodstock, New York native won gold in the women’s Speed event, climbing on the highest step of The World Games podium in front of her home crowd, and beating 2021 Speed World Championship winner Natalia Kalucka of Poland. Hunt finished with 7.24 seconds, while Kalucka, after a slip in the first section of the race, finished with 8.88. The bronze medal was won by Germany’s Franziska Ritter. It is the third international medal won by the 19-year-old in 2022. Indeed, Hunt won two International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup silvers in Seoul, South Korea; and Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The ceremony for the Athlete of the Day award took place at The World Games Plaza, where Hunt received the trophy along with orienteer Tim Robertson of New Zealand. “It’s been super special for me, I’m from Atlanta, Georgia, it felt very much like home turf, and I felt I had a little bit of home field advantage with the heat and humidity,” said Hunt. “I just tried to be focused on what I was doing, because at the end of the day it’s just you against the wall.” “It’s was a little overwhelming, I had not done anything like that before. It’s been very different than the other competitions I’ve been to, and exciting!” she concluded, when asked about her experience at The World Games Plaza. Currently sitting in third place in the IFSC women’s Speed World Cup ranking 2022, Hunt will have the chance to defend – and possibly improve – her position at the two remaining Speed events of the IFSC World Cup Series 2022: in Edinburgh, Great Britain from 9 to 11 September; and Jakarta, Indonesia, from 24 to 26 September.

Sports Bulletin Report Chamonix (France):-This evening saw the conclusion of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Chamonix 2022, where 17 climbers competed in Lead finals beneath the famous Mont Blanc. In the women’s final, Olympic gold-medallist Janja Garnbret, of Slovenia, took her third consecutive Lead World Cup gold medal, while the men’s event saw the return of Czech Olympian Adam Ondra, who came back to the World Cup circuit with a bang by taking tonight’s win. After celebrating a huge milestone with her 50th World Cup medal win at the start of the 2022 Lead season, Garnbret showed no signs of slowing down in Chamonix, topping all routes from the qualification round through to this evening’s final. As such, the Olympian deservedly earned her 52nd* World Cup medal – her 35th gold, 21 of which she has won in Lead. Following tonight’s victory, Garnbret – who is two-time Lead World Champion, two-time Boulder World Champion, and two-time Combined World Champion – has won all three Lead World Cups so far this season. In second place was fellow Olympian Laura Rogora, of Italy, who claimed her fourth IFSC World Cup medal – all of which she has earned in Lead. The Italian was delighted to secure a top, yet due to a tie with Garnbret, secured the silver medal based on her performance in previous rounds. Olympian Seo Chaehyun, of South Korea, took the bronze medal, climbing atop a World Cup podium for a ninth time since storming onto the circuit in 2019. The Olympian also reached the top of the route, though ranked third based on her semi-final score. In fourth place was Austrian Olympian Jessica Pilz, who likewise achieved a top, though missed out on a podium position counting back to her score from previous rounds. Japan’s Tanii Natsuki placed fifth with 45+, while the USA’s Natalia Grossman and Brooke Raboutou, Olympian, each reached 43+. The American duo ranked a respective sixth and seventh, again assessing their score in the semi-final. Slovenian Olympian Mia Krampl placed eighth, with a score of 37. Matching Ondra’s score of 39+ was Japan’s Homma Taisei, who secured the silver medal. After taking the win in Villars last weekend, tonight marks the second medal of the season for Homma – his third time in total stepping onto an IFSC World Cup podium. Completing the men’s podium was the USA’s Sean Bailey, who with a score of 29+, earned the fifth World Cup medal of his career so far. After making the podium three times in 2021, this is the American’s first podium position of the 2022 season. Slovenia’s Luka Potocar and Germany’s Yannick Flohé each finished with the same score as Bailey, though placed fourth and fifth, respectively, based on their scores from previous rounds and time taken to complete tonight’s attempt. On home soil, France’s Sam Avezou placed sixth with 25+, followed by Great Britain’s Hamish McArthur in seventh, with the same score. Switzerland’s Sascha Lehmann ranked eighth with 20+, while Japan’s Yoshida Satone placed ninth after slipping at hold 12. Nine male athletes competed in tonight’s final as opposed to eight, due to tied scores earlier in the competition.

Sports Bulletin Report Villars (Switzerland):-The 2022 International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Paraclimbing World Cup came to a close in Villars, Switzerland, with 17 nations taking home medals.  France excelled claiming seven of the 45 on offer from the 15 sports classes competing in the Swiss village. Germany helped themselves to three golds after a quick start from Great Britain who took two from two at the start of the finals. There were also golds for Austria, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, and the USA.  ROUND ONE TO THE BRITS  In the first finals of the day, three-time world champion Abigail Robinson of Great Britain again proved her gold medal winning prowess securing another top spot in the World Cup.  But it wasn’t just the win that pleased Robinson about the Villars final: “I feel amazing. That route was really cool. In the past I’ve been a bit dissatisfied when the route isn’t super hard but that one was really creative and really my style. It was really challenging and I felt like I put in a fight.”  Robinson scored a 60+ on the “cool” route after silver medallist Edith Scheinecker of Germany had laid down the marker of 45. Nadia Bredice of Italy completed the podium with a 21+ climb.  SLOCOCK CONTINUES BRITISH GOLD RUSH There was another British win shortly after Robinson as teammate Richard Slocock edged out his two Spanish rivals. It was a tight affair though with just 2+ separating all three climbers. Slocock reached 30+ after Raul Simon Franco had scored 29 and compatriot Guillermo Pelegrín Gómez scored 28. ROMANIA’S CANDOI SPOILS BRITISH PARTY In Villars Cosmin Florin Candoi of Romania only does tops. He topped twice in qualification and added another in the finals, but the gold wasn’t assured. Lux Losey Sail of Great Britain began the B3 final with a top of his own and the medals came down to time with the Romanian world champion quicker in the end. Canada’s Chaz Misuraca scored 33+ to take the bronze medal.  AITA SHO SECURES FIRST GOLD FOR JAPAN  World Cup. World Masters. World Championships. It doesn’t matter for Japan’s Aita Sho, he wants the top spot on the podium, and he has got another one.  Aita couldn’t quite reach the heights of qualification where he secured two tops, but a 47 was enough to beat Francisco Javier Aguilar Amoedo of Spain and Razvan Nedu of Romania who finished with a 39 and 36 respectively.  THE TIGHTEST OF ALL FINALS FOR WOMEN’S B3  In the final visually impaired sport class of the session you couldn’t have asked for a better finish. The four finalists all reached hold 45, but it was France’s Roxane Heili who managed the + move and bag herself a gold medal.  With the other finalist’s split by time, it was Ionela Grecu of Romania who took silver and Melissa Cesarone also of France taking bronze. Norway’s Iben Jongsvik Paulsen was the unlucky one who just missed out on a highly competitive podium.  DUTCHMAN SHOWS SKILLS FOR RP3 GOLD  With a streak of gold in Salt Lake City, USA, and bronze in Innsbruck, Austria, for the 2022 Paraclimbing World Cup’s, Jamie Barendrecht of the Netherland’s once again stood on the podium adding a Villars gold.  Taking some time to fine tune his climbing, the training obviously paid off for the Dutchman.  Andrej Haršány of Slovakia claimed the silver in the RP3 with Bastien Thomas of France taking bronze.  HOT STREAK CONTINUES FOR PLANK With a streak of three golds from the last three Paraclimbing World Cup’s she has attended, Austria’s Jasmin Plank had some work to do in the RP1 final to keep the run going. Both Plank and Melissa Ruiz of USA topped a route in qualification and the medal wouldn’t be any easy one to achieve. With the mark of 35+ laid down by Ruiz, it took a superb effort to reach 47+ and with it the gold medal to continue the streak for Plank. Spain’s Marta Peche Salinero beat her teammate Andrea Sánchez Aparicio to take the bronze medal. MAYFORTH GETS USA OFF THE MARK Benjamin Mayforth took gold for USA with a win in the men’s RP2. Coming out of qualifying in third position, Mayforth upped his game to move to the top spot ahead of Mor Michael Sapir of Israel in silver and Manikandan Kumar of India in bronze.  SCHAUPERT CLIMBS FINAL STEP  Germany’s Rosalie Schaupert has been climbing not only the competition wall but the Paraclimbing World Cup podium throughout 2022. With a bronze in Salt Lake City and silver in Innsbruck, the only way to go was up. And the German climber did it in Villars.  Her 62+ was enough for gold as Leanora Volpe of Britain scored 54+ for silver and Christiane Luttikhuizen of the Netherlands took bronze with 53+.  FRANCK KEEPS UP GOLD MEDAL WINNING WAYS  There was another golden streak that needed maintaining in Villars, and Korbinian Franck of Germany duly obliged. With two from two 2022 World Cup gold medals in the bag, it wasn’t long before the record books read three from three.  Franck was joined on the podium by compatriot Tim Schaffrinna who took bronze with Gian Matteo Ramini of Italy splitting the two in the silver medal position.  NO STOPPING JARRIGE’S GOLDEN RUN There are very few times that Lucie Jarrige of France enters a competition and doesn’t win, and Villars was no different. The four-time world champion was a cut above her rivals topping the final climb to secure yet another gold medal to add to the ever-growing collection.   Australian Sarah Larcombe was one of those athletes separated from Jarrige in silver with American Hannah McFadden in bronze. FRENCH GOLD GREETS FRENCH GOLD As Julien Gasc of France untied after reaching 41+ he was embraced by compatriot Jarrige who had just topped for gold in her class. It turned into a golden embrace as Gasc had also secured his country another gold medal. Frederik Leys of Belgium was behind Gasc taking silver with 32 with the Spanish pair of Albert Guardia Ferrer and Iván Germán Pascual separated by time for bronze. It was Guardia Ferrer who took the honours after reaching 30 quicker than his teammate. FRANCE KEEPS ON ROLLING Not to be outdone by her teammates, Solenne Piret of France followed up two quick golds with a third topping the women’s AU2.  Lucia Capovilla of Italy couldn’t match the effort but took silver from Giovanna Dubuc of USA reaching 37+ compared to the American’s 16+.  BARTKE PUTS HALT TO FRENCH CHARGE  Germany’s Kevin Bartke finally stopped the French gold rush by reaching 62+ in the final of the men’s AU2. Bartke was on top of the podium at the last Paraclimbing World Cup in Innsbruck and again takes the top step in Villars.  Isak Ripman of Norway reached 49+ to take the silver ahead of another French finalist, Erwan Lievin. Lievin reached 33+ for his bronze.  AUSTRIAN PODIUM LOCK-OUT DRAWS 2022 WORLD CUP TO A CLOSE  With three Austrians in the final, a gold for the country was never in doubt. What had to be sorted was team bragging rights. With the very final climb of the 2022 Paraclimbing World Cup season, Angelino Zeller took the honours with a 51 climb.  Markus Pösendorfer took home the silver with a 33 and Daniel Kontsch completed the Austrian podium with 26+, and with it drawing the season to a close.  MEDAL TABLE  1. France: 4 gold, 3 bronze; 2. Germany: 3 gold, 1 bronze; 3. Austria: 2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze; 4. Great Britain: 2 gold, 2 silver; 5. USA: 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze; 6. Romania: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze; 7. Netherlands: 1 gold, 1 bronze; 8. Japan: 1 gold; 9. Spain: 2 silver, 3 bronze; 10. Italy: 2 silver, 1 bronze; 11. Australia: 1 silver; 11. Belgium: 1 silver; 11. Israel: 1 silver; 11. Norway: 1 silver; 11. Slovakia: 1 silver; 16. Canada: 1 bronze; 16. India: 1 bronze.  

Sports Bulletin Report Chamonix (France):-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup in Chamonix, France, opened with another stunning performance signed by Indonesian Speed climber Kiromal Katibin, who set a new men’s Speed world record for the fifth time since May 2021.  The 21-year-old from Batang, Central Java, shocked the crowd that gathered at Place du Mont Blanc on a sunny afternoon, stopping the clock at 5.00 seconds flat and writing another page in his personal history book of records.  Katibin, indeed, first broke the men’s Speed world record in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, where he hit the finish pad at 5.25 seconds on 28 May 2021; in the following 14 months, he then set four more records: 5.17 in Seoul, South Korea; 5.10 in Salt Lake City; 5.09 and 5.04 in Villars, Switzerland, one week ago.  Taking second place in the qualification was Zhang Liang of China, with 5.15; Cao Long, also of China, placed third with 5.16.  After securing the women’s Speed gold medal in Villars, Switzerland, one week ago, Deng Lijuan of China placed at the top of the qualification ranking in Chamonix with 6.74 seconds – a new Asian record.  Rajiah Sallsabillah of Indonesia and Aleksandra Kalucka of Poland also finished below the 7-second mark, and respectively placed second with 6.85, and third with 6.87.  Several national records were also set during the Speed qualification rounds. In the women’s event, Jeong Jimin of South Korea finished with 7.39; while in the men’s one: Chan Cheung-chi Shoji of Hong Kong, China finished with 6.05; Matthew Fall of Great Britain finished with 6.55; Michael Finn-Henry of Canada finished with 5.69; Sebastian Lucke of Germany finished with 5.64; Omasa Ryo of Japan finished with 5.58; and Valentin Sternik of Argentina finished with 7.21.

Sports Bulletin Report Torino (Itlay):-Based at the foot of Mont Blanc, the French town of Chamonix will welcome 307 climbers – 137 women and 170 men – from 8 to 10 July. Athletes, representing 38 different countries and territories, are set to compete in the fifth Speed competition of the season, in addition to the third round of the IFSC Lead World Cup Series 2022.  Slovenian Olympian Janja Garnbret took the win in the first two Lead World Cups of the season. Could the Olympic gold medallist score a hat trick and continue her winning streak in Chamonix? Fellow Olympian Brooke Raboutou, of the USA, has likewise stood atop the Lead podium twice this year and as such, will be vying to add another medal to her collection this weekend.  In the men’s Lead event, American Olympian Colin Duffy and his compatriot, Jesse Grupper, are ones to watch, having bagged a medal at the IFSC Lead World Cups in both Innsbruck and Villars in recent weeks. After earning his first World Cup gold medal last weekend, could Japan’s Homma Taisei win another in Villars?  China dominated the Speed events in Villars last week, taking five out of a possible six medals. As such, all eyes will be on Team China in Chamonix – in particular last weekend’s gold medallists, Long Jianguo in the men’s event, and Deng Lijuan in the women’s. Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin broke the Speed world record twice in quick succession in Villars, so spectators will be keeping watch for further record attempts in Chamonix this weekend.  SCHEDULE (UTC+2:00)  Friday, 8 July: 7:00 PM - Speed qualifications Saturday, 9 July: 10:00 AM - Lead qualifications 9:00 PM - Speed finals Sunday, 10 July: 10:00 AM - Lead semi-finals 8:30 PM - Women's Lead final IFSC PARACLIMBING WORLD CUP IN VILLARS The third and final IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup of the season will take place from 8 to 9 July in Villars, Switzerland. Representing 23 different countries and territories, a total of 119 athletes will compete across 12 Paraclimbing sport classes. Team Germany topped the medal table at the previous Paraclimbing World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, with two gold medals and four silver. Could they do the same in Villars this weekend? Japan, Austria, France, and Great Britain all additionally earned gold medals in Innsbruck and as such, will be looking to climb onto the podium again in Villars.

Sports Bulletin Report Torino (Italy):-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), together with the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and GB Climbing, agreed today that Edinburgh, Scotland will host the 13th event of the IFSC World Cup Series 2022 from 9 to 11 September.  The event replaces the IFSC Lead and Speed World Cup that was originally scheduled to take place in Wujiang, China, but was cancelled earlier this this year due to ongoing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.  IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “It is always a challenge to find replacement hosts for events that are cancelled at short notice, but we know from past experience that Edinburgh will rise to the challenge and organise an event that will be successful. A big thank goes to the authorities in Scotland and to our counterparts at the BMC and GB Climbing.”  It will be a welcome return for the IFSC to the Scottish capital, which last hosted an IFSC event in 2019 – the European Championships in Lead and Speed – and last staged a World Cup event in 2017.  “The introduction of climbing at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 successfully introduced our amazing sport to a massive new audience, and we now have the perfect opportunity to capitalise on that inspiration with an IFSC Lead and Speed World Cup hosted on home soil, ahead of Paris 2024,” said Lorraine Brown, Head of Performance for GB Climbing. “Not only does this offer us the chance to place the spotlight on one of the most exciting and adrenaline-fuelled sports out there, it’ll be valuable experience for our athletes - competing against the very best in the world, on an international stage. “We are grateful to our partners Event Scotland, the Edinburgh City Council, and Mountaineering Scotland for their support with this event.” Jamie Smith, Development Manager for Climb Scotland said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the Scottish climbing community to come, watch and be inspired by world class athletes competing on their doorstep. Mountaineering Scotland look forward to working with IFSC, BMC, the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, EventScotland and Edinburgh City Council around this event to make it an awesome experience for everyone involved, from athletes to spectators.

Sports Bulletin Report Villars (Switzerland):-The seventh stage of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2022 came to a conclusion this evening in Villars, Switzerland. Slovenian superstar Janja Garnbret claimed her 50th World Cup medal in the women’s Lead event, while Japan’s Homma Taisei earned his first World Cup win in the men’s. With a score of 36+, Homma climbed his way onto the top step of the podium in the men’s final, taking his first World Cup gold medal. The Japanese athlete adds this to the silver he earned at the IFSC Lead World Cup Xiamen 2019. Having made the final at the first Lead World Cup event of the 2022 season last weekend in Innsbruck, Austria, Homma missed out on the podium in ninth position. He therefore upped his game this weekend to secure his first win. “In Innsbruck I felt very sad because of my result, so this time I felt that I need to try my best. First of all I tried to concentrate, just to be myself. In the semi-final I didn’t feel so good about my performance and after the semi-final I got a lot of messages from my friends in Japan, so that’s why I did my best in the final, because of the cheering of my Japanese friends,” said Taisei after taking the win. In second place was last week’s bronze medallist Jesse Grupper, of the USA, who achieved the silver medal with a score of 34+. Grupper therefore took home his second ever World Cup medal. His teammate – Olympian Colin Duffy – claimed third place with 34, earning his third medal of the season. Duffy made history last weekend, by becoming the first male to secure the win in both Boulder and Lead at the same competition. Germany’s Yannick Flohé missed out on the podium by one position in fourth, with a score of 33. Yoshida Satone, of Japan, placed fifth with 27+, while his compatriot Ogata Yoshiyuki ranked sixth with 26+. France’s Mejdi Schalck placed seventh, scoring 19+, and Japan’s Yurikusa Ao placed eighth with 18+. Securing the only top of the night, Slovenian Olympian Janja Garnbret deservedly earned the fiftieth IFSC World Cup medal of her career so far. It is the 34th gold medal that the Olympic gold medallist has been awarded on the World Cup circuit, 20 of which she has won in Lead. Garnbret also holds a total of seven World Championship medals, including six gold. “I feel amazing, this was one of the best routes on the circuit. I feel that I was climbing with flow and just enjoying myself on the route. I was also climbing super fast, so I enjoyed it very much,” said Garnbret after stepping onto a World Cup podium for a fiftieth time. “In Innsbruck I felt kind of rusty because I haven’t had any comps except Meiringen this year, but then after semi’s I felt in the flow so I could do the same in Villars, so it feels amazing. I feel that this was easier than Innsbruck. Innsbruck was really the hardest route I’ve ever climbed. This one I feel like at observation it looked harder, but the hardest part was just the last two moves. I really enjoyed it. It had some tricky parts where you had to be careful, but nevertheless I enjoyed it,” she added about this evening’s route. Fellow Olympian Brooke Raboutou, of the USA, placed second with 37+, therefore taking the silver medal. The American has had a stellar season so far, having claimed three medals in Boulder – one silver and two bronze – and two in Lead – tonight’s silver, in addition to a bronze medal in Innsbruck last weekend. Natalia Grossman, Raboutou’s teammate and best friend, secured the bronze medal with 35+. As such, Grossman climbed onto a World Cup podium for a 15th time, having bagged eight medals in 2021, and seven so far this season. Italian Olympian Laura Rogora placed fourth with 31+, followed by France’s Manon Hily in fifth with 28+. A second attempt was awarded to Hily in tonight’s final, following a technical incident in which she was not given enough rope. Olympian Seo Chaehyun, of South Korea, placed sixth with 17+, while Japan’s Nakagawa Ryu and Tanii Natsuki scored a respective seventh and eighth, also with 17+. As the trio achieved the same score in this evening’s final, they were ranked based on their score in this morning’s semi-final.

Sports Bulletin Report Villars (Switzerland):-The fourth instalment of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Speed World Cup Series 2022 concluded in Villars, Switzerland, this evening, with China dominating both the women’s and men’s finals, taking five out of a possible six medals. Tonight marked the first World Cup podium for all six medallists. Participating in his debut IFSC World Cup, China’s Long Jianguo claimed the gold medal in the men’s event. The Chinese athlete took the win in a neck-and-neck finish with teammate Wu Peng, who came second, stopping the clock with respective times of 5.23 and 5.24 seconds in the final. In the small final of the men’s event, China’s Long Jinbao secured the win over past world record holder Veddriq Leonardo, of Indonesia, who fell and thus missed out on a podium position in Villars. Long Jinbao tapped the finish pad with a time of 5.16, walking away with the bronze medal alongside teammates Long Jianguo and Wu Peng. The IFSC Speed World Cup Villars 2022 is the first World Cup in which all three podium finishers have competed. “I feel very excited and I didn’t expect this. It’s my first time to compete in a World Cup so I feel pretty good. I want to thank my country for supporting me step by step in getting this medal,” said Long Jianguo after taking gold in his debut World Cup. Having set not one, but two new world records in yesterday’s qualification round, Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin slipped against compatriot Leonardo in the quarter final and as such, did not progress to the final race for the podium. China’s Deng Lijuan stopped the clock at 6.87 seconds in the women’s final, taking the win over teammate Niu Di, who slipped and finished in 8.22 seconds. Deng has now competed in six IFSC World Cups, with tonight marking her first podium finish as she concluded with a gold medal. The Chinese athlete previously won gold at the IFSC Youth Asian Championships Chongqing 2018. Her compatriot Niu, who took silver in Speed at the IFSC World Championships Hachioji 2019, also earned her first World Cup medal this evening, finishing in second place. “I’m very happy. I want to say a big thanks to my country because has given such strong support during the pandemic. After two years we have finally come back to the stage!” said Deng following her first World Cup win. Made Rita Kusuma Dewi Desak, of Indonesia, completed the women’s podium in third position, having stopped the clock at 7.06 seconds in the small final. Desak bested Poland’s Anna Brozek, who finished in fourth with a time of 7.39 seconds. With a bronze medal win, this is also the first podium finish for Desak.

Sports Bulletin Report Villars (Switzerland):-Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin set Speed qualification alight at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup in Villars, Switzerland, breaking the world record twice in quick succession.  Drawn against Man-hei Chung of Hong Kong, China in the first round, Katibin had the wall to himself after a false start for his competitor, and he took full advantage taking just 5.09 seconds to tap the finish pad.  Not happy with his third world record in four events, Katibin came back to take on Lane B and went even faster at 5.04 seconds to claim yet another world’s best time and move within touching distance of a sub-5. There were three Chinese athletes making up the top four behind Katibin with Cao Long in second with 5.21, Long Jianguo third with 5.22, and Wu Peng with 5.32. Before today, just three climbers had gone sub-7 seconds in women’s Speed. By the end of the day that total had more than doubled as four athletes hit the 6-second mark including China’s Di Niu who posted a new Asian Record of 6.91. Compatriot Lijuan Deng followed closely behind with 6.94 just beating Aleksandra Kalucka of Poland who tapped at 6.95. Made Rita Kusuma Dewi Desak of Indonesia was the other climber hitting the sub-7 with 6.97.