Sports Bulletin Report
Jakarta (Indonesia): Fifty-two men, Thirty-nine women, and just four tickets for Paris Olympics 2024. The next stop on the Road to Paris 2024 is the IFSC Asian Qualifier Jakarta which will give see four more climbers take a massive step closer to realising their dream of an Olympic appearance at next year’s summer showpiece.
One men’s and one women’s qualifier in both the Boulder & Lead discipline and Speed disciplines will emerge from what will be a hotly contested battle at the newly built outdoor venue in the Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Asian region already has four athletes confirmed to become Olympians with Japan’s Ai Mori and Narasaki Tomoa in the Boulder & Lead and Indonesia’s Dewi Made Rita Kusuma Dewi and China’s Long Jinbao in the Speed securing their spots at the IFSC World Championships in Bern in August, and more will join by the end of the week.
A red-hot favourite in the men’s Boulder & Lead is Japan’s Anraku Sorato. The 16-year-old had the great Jakob Schubert of Austria singing his praises at Bern 2023 and he has been living up to the hype. Becoming the first ever IFSC World Cup Boulder series holder and Lead series holder in the same season, Anraku is currently on a run of three Lead World Cup golds and a Boulder & Lead win at the recent Asian Games.
Joining Anraku on the podium in Hangzhou was China’s Tokyo 2020 Olympian Pan Yufei and South Korea’s Lee Dohyun, and they will once again be vying for the top step. Lee’s compatriot Chon Jongwon is also in action looking to make a second Olympic appearance and Japan’s Narasaki Meichi will be hoping to take the same flight as his brother Tomoa to the French capital next year.
SCHEDULE
Thursday 9 Nov: Men’s and women’s Boulder & Lead qualification
Friday 10 Nov: Men’s and women’s Boulder & Lead semi-finals
Saturday 11 Nov: Men’s and women’s Boulder & Lead finals
Sunday 12 Nov: Men’s and women’s Speed qualification and finals