Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Innsbruck (Austria):-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Boulder World Cup Series 2022 concluded at the Kletterzentrum in Innsbruck, Austria, this evening, where USA’s Natalia Grossman bagged her fifth gold medal of the season. In doing so, the American became the overall 2022 IFSC Boulder World Cup champion. With four tops and four zones – three of them flashes – Grossman successfully secured the win tonight, earning her sixth and final podium position of the 2022 Boulder season. The reigning Boulder World Champion obtained a silver medal in the opening World Cup of the year and subsequently, has stepped onto the top step of the podium with a gold medal in each round since. In doing so, Grossman guaranteed the season win – her second consecutive overall Boulder World Cup victory – before even setting foot off the ground in tonight’s final. The American was awarded 5,000.0 points in the overall ranking and thus, is the fifth female athlete in history to have won more than one World Cup Series. Moreover, Grossman is now one of only four women to have won five or more World Cups within one season. “It hasn’t even sunk in really. I’m speechless!” said Grossman after taking the season title. When questioned about the final bloc of the night, she commented: “You couldn’t really see the hold that you were going for. I love crimps so I was like ‘I know if I find the hold, I have a good chance of sticking it’. I gave it what I’ve got!” Hot on Grossman’s heels in second place was Hannah Meul of Germany, who concluded the competition with an almost identical score to the American, bar one additional attempt on boulder three. With four tops, four zones, and just one more attempt than Grossman, the German consequently claimed the silver medal – her second consecutive podium finish and the second World Cup silver medal of her career so far. Completing this evening’s podium line-up was Olympic silver medallist Nonaka Miho, of Japan, who took the bronze medal with two tops and two zones. Positioning herself on the podium for the third time this season, the Olympian secured second place in the overall Boulder season ranking, with a total of 3,210.0 points. With one top and two zones each, Japan’s Ito Futaba and South Korea’s Seo Chaehyun placed a respective fourth and sixth in tonight’s final – their scores differentiated by just one attempt. Kikuchi Saki placed fifth, with zero tops but two zones. Taking the final podium position in the overall Boulder World Cup 2022 ranking was Olympian Brooke Raboutou, of the USA. Having stood atop the podium three times this year, the American claimed third place in this year’s Boulder World Cup with 2,940.0 points, therefore joining teammate and best friend Grossman on the podium again tonight.

Sports Bulletin Report Innsbruck (Austria):-The final men’s Boulder event of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2022 took place this evening in Innsbruck, Austria. The men’s Boulder final not only saw Tokyo 2020 Olympian Colin Duffy, of the USA, take his first ever IFSC World Cup gold medal, it also saw Japan’s Ogata Yoshiyuki crowned 2022 Boulder season champion. Until this evening Duffy’s highest World Cup placement was third, following his bronze medal win in Lead at the IFSC World Cup Villars 2021. However, with three tops and four zones, the Olympian tonight claimed his first World Cup gold, gazing at the scoreboard in disbelief after seeing the competition’s final result. “I was counting the attempts in my head, I thought that if Yoshi had flashed then he would have won, then as he had taken a few attempts on the first move, I started to realise that I had won the competition and I was in shock. I still am in shock!” said Duffy on his victory. “I wouldn’t be here without the rest of the USA team athletes, the support and camaraderie that I share with the team is a key part of these World Cup experiences. I’m glad that they were here to cheer me on and support me to the gold medal,” he added. In second place was Lee Dohyun, of South Korea, who climbed atop his first IFSC World Cup podium tonight with two tops and four zones. Lee narrowly missed out on a podium position at the previous Boulder World Cup in Brixen just weeks ago, where he placed fourth. Japan’s Ogata Yoshiyuki took the bronze medal this evening with the same score as Lee, placing third due to using a higher number of attempts than the silver medallist. In a stellar 2022 season for the Japanese athlete, Ogata has stood atop five out of a possible six IFSC Boulder World Cup podiums this year, earning one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. As such, Ogata claims the title of overall Boulder World Cup winner for 2022, with 3,990.0 points. Knowing what was at stake for the athlete, spectators lit up Innsbruck’s Kletterzentrum with their smartphones as Ogata took to the mats to take on his final boulder. South Korean Olympian Chon Jongwon placed fourth in tonight’s final, with two tops and three zones, while Japan’s Fujii Kokoro and Germany’s Yannick Flohé placed fifth and sixth, respectively. The latter two obtained the same score as Chon, though placed lower due to their higher number of attempts. Scoring a hat trick in the overall 2022 IFSC Boulder World Cup ranking, Japan also secured the second and third place positions, in addition to Ogata’s first place ranking. Olympian Narasaki Tomoa and Fujii Kokoro scored 3,405.0 and 3,110.0 points, respectively.

Sports Bulletin Report INNSBRUCK:-The IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup Innsbruck 2022 concluded under stormy skies this evening at Innsbruck’s Kletterzentrum, where despite the poor weather, 14 sport classes competed in finals. Japan, Austria, France, and Great Britain saw the greatest success in Innsbruck, each obtaining more than one gold medal. The third and final Paraclimbing World Cup of the 2022 season will take place in Villars, Switzerland, from 8 to 9 July. Prior to this, a Paraclimbing Master will be held in Imst, Austria, from 2 to 3 July. GOLD-SILVER COMBO FOR JAPAN IN MEN’S B2 In the men’s B2 sport class, Aita Sho and Hamanoue Fumiya of Japan placed first and second, with four-time World Champion Sho securing a triumphant top, and his compatriot achieving a score of 53. Completing the podium with 52+ was Spain’s Francisco Javier Aguilar Amodeo. TRIPLE-WHAMMY FOR AUSTRIA IN MEN’S AL1 Competing on home turf, the men’s AL1 final saw three Austrian athletes take to the podium in Innsbruck. Two-time World Champion Angelino Zeller ranked first with a score of 42, winning his second gold medal of the season – his fourth to date. His teammates Markus Pösendorfer and Daniel Kontsch ranked second and third, with respective scores of 36+ and 25. GOLD-SILVER WIN FOR SPAIN IN MEN’S AL2 In a tight-knit finish, Spain’s Albert Guardia Ferrer and Urko Carmona Barandiaran placed first and second, respectively, in tonight’s AL2 men’s sport class, scoring 36+ and 36. Straight from a win in Salt Lake City, Guardia Ferrer earned his second gold IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup medal this evening, with his full collection of Paraclimbing World Cup medals totalling six. The Spaniard has also won three Paraclimbing World Championship medals throughout his career. ONUMA ON TOP IN MEN’S AU1  Onuma Kazuhiko, of Japan, placed first in the men’s AU1 sport class. Scoring 26+, the Japanese athlete took home his first ever IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup medal. In second place was Mario Persing of Germany, with 22+, while Spain’s Eloi Vila Cullerés came third with 21.  GOLD FOR GERMANY IN MEN’S AU2  Kevin Bartke, of Germany, took the win in the men’s AU2 sport class. Scoring 52+, two-time Paraclimbing World Championship medallist Bartke bagged his sixth Paraclimbing World Cup medal to date. The USA’s Brian Zarzuela ranked second with 47, and Norway’s Isak Ripman placed third with a score of 46+.  GERMANY GRABS GOLD-SILVER FINISH IN MEN’S RP1  In a neck-and-neck finish, Germany’s Korbinian Franck and Florian Singer placed first and second, respectively scoring 43+ and 43. No stranger to the podium, first place finisher Franck now has seven IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup medals to his name, in addition to four Paraclimbing World Championship medals. Completing the men’s RP1 podium was Okada Takuya of Japan, with a score of 31. MAYFORTH BAGS THE WIN IN MEN’S RP2 After securing a top, the USA’s Benjamin Mayforth won his first Paraclimbing World Cup gold tonight in Innsbruck – the first Paraclimbing World Cup medal of his career, despite having won silver medals at the 2019 and 2021 IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships. Also achieving a top was Spain’s Iván Muñoz Escolar, who ranked second due to placing lower than Mayforth in the qualification round. Completing the podium was Mor Michael Sapir of Israel, with a score of 52+. FIRST PLACE FOR ITALY IN MEN’S RP3 With a score of 48+, Italy’s Alessandro Neri won his second Paraclimbing World Cup gold medal to date in the men’s RP3 sport class. Takano Tadashi of Japan took silver with 47, while Jamie Barendrecht, of the Netherlands, took bronze with 43+. GREAT BRITAIN SEES GOLD IN WOMEN’S B3 Claiming the gold medal in the women’s B3 sport class was Abigail Robinson of Great Britain, who, as triple World Champion, was the only athlete to secure a top. Japan’s Ejiri Yumi ranked second with 47+, followed closely by Austria’s Edith Scheinecker in third, scoring 46+ on home soil. WIN FOR JARRIGE IN WOMEN’S AL2 With a top in tonight’s final, four-time World Champion Lucie Jarrige, of France, placed first. As such, Jarrige earned the seventh IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup medal of her career so far. Australia’s Sarah Larcombe placed second with 37, with the USA’s Hannah McFadden placing third with 36. PIRET PLACES FIRST IN WOMEN’S AU2 With a top, three-time Paraclimbing World Champion Solenne Piret, of France, earned the win tonight and thus, the fifth Paraclimbing World Cup medal of her career. Lucia Capovilla, of Italy, placed second with 34+, while Denmark’s Monica Raavig placed third in her debut Paraclimbing World Cup, scoring 26+. PLANK PLACES FIRST IN WOMEN’S RP1 Fresh from the podium of the IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup Salt Lake City 2022, Austria’s Jasmin Plank came to win on home soil, topping the final route and earning her sixth Paraclimbing World Cup medal – her third gold. Melissa Ruiz of the USA scored 42 and Spain’s Marta Peche Salinero scored 41+, ranking second and third, respectively. EIVIK EARNS FIRST PLACE IN WOMEN’S RP2 Norway’s Dina Eivik came out on top in the women’s RP2 sport class with a score of 37+. As such, Eivik earned the first IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup medal of her career, and a gold one at that. With 15+ Germany’s Nicole Diehl placed second, followed by Aurora Alberto of Italy in third, with a score of 12. GOLD FOR GREAT BRITAIN IN WOMEN’S RP3 Two-time World Championship medallist Leonora Volpe, of Great Britain, secured her first IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup medal tonight in Innsbruck, taking a well-deserved win with a top. Germany’s Rosalie Schaupert concluded the competition with 49+ in second place, with Brazil’s Marina Dias taking bronze with 47+.  

Sports Bulletin Report Brixen (Itlay):-The fifth edition of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2022 drew to a close this evening in Brixen, Italy. Germany’s Yannick Flohé was crowned champion in the men’s Boulder final, leaving Team Germany overjoyed after also seeing silver-medal-success from team member Hannah Meul in the women’s event yesterday.  Despite being the reigning Combined World Champion and having also taken home a bronze medal in Boulder at the IFSC Climbing World Championships Hachioji 2019, Flohé has never stood atop an IFSC World Cup podium – until tonight. Taking first place in this evening’s final with two tops and four zones, Flohé secured the first IFSC World Cup medal of his career, and a gold one at that.  When asked how long he has worked for this moment, Flohé said: “I don’t know, maybe my whole life! Since I started climbing I guess, but I never thought that I would make it on top of the podium someday. This year has been a good year so far. I was already quite strong last year but somehow my head didn’t work that well, so I’m super happy that it worked out today.”  In second place was another newcomer to the IFSC World Cup podium – Great Britain’s Maximillian Milne. The Brit achieved two tops and three zones and thus, achieved a silver medal in Brixen. Moreover, Milne accomplished the only flash of the night, completing the first bloc of the final in only one attempt.  Completing the men’s podium was Tokyo 2020 Olympian Narasaki Tomoa, of Japan, who took bronze with one top and four zones. No stranger to the podium, Narasaki now holds a total of 26 IFSC World Cup medals, and a further six IFSC Climbing World Championship medals.  In fourth place was Lee Dohyun of South Korea, achieving one top and four zones in his first ever World Cup final. Japan’s Ogata Yoshiyuki placed fifth with another score of one top and four zones, ranking lower than Narasaki and Lee due to using a higher number of attempts during the competition. In sixth place was Narasaki Meichi of Japan – the younger brother of Narasaki Tomoa – with a score of one top and three zones.  

Sports Bulletin Report Brixen (Itlay):-This evening saw the conclusion of the women’s event at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Boulder World Cup Brixen 2022, where in an intense head-to-head battle against Germany’s Hannah Meul, Natalia Grossman of the USA triumphed.  With four tops and four zones, Grossman achieved her sixth IFSC World Cup gold medal to date – four of which she has obtained during the 2022 season so far. The American put on a spectacular performance by flashing three out of four boulders in tonight’s final, after having flashed every single bloc in the previous two rounds. As such, Grossman deservedly earned her fourth consecutive first place finish.  “I’m really grateful and excited for more. I feel like at least during the qualification and semi-final rounds, I had the most fun I’ve had in a really long time. It felt really good to compete without pressure again, because in Salt Lake I had a lot of pressure. Hannah definitely kept me on my toes the whole final round so that was kind of fun dealing with the pressure, but I’m glad I was able to keep it together,” said Grossman following her win. “I’ve been focusing mainly on boulders this year, but I’m very excited to get the opportunity to compete in Lead because I love Lead climbing. We’ll see how it goes!” she added when questioned about the upcoming IFSC Lead World Cup season. Matching Grossman’s score of four tops and four zones, Meul of Germany placed second due to using just one more attempt than the American. Flashing two of the final blocs, Meul climbed atop her first ever IFSC World Cup podium and walked away with a silver medal around her neck. Completing the podium was China’s Luo Zhilu, impressively bagging a bronze medal in her debut IFSC World Cup with two tops and four zones. After a stellar first appearance on the international Sport Climbing circuit, the 16-year-old climber is pinned as one to watch moving forward. Olympic silver-medallist Nonaka Miho, of Japan, just missed out on a podium position in fourth place, with one top and four zones. Her teammates Matsufuji Anon and Okawachi Serika ranked fifth and sixth respectively, with Matsufuji achieving one top and three zones, and Serika securing zero tops but three zones.  

Sports Bulletin Report Salt Lake City (USA):-The fourth part of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2022 closed in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, where a loud and warm crowd fought the adverse weather and enjoyed the women’s and men’s Boulder finals.  Entering the round with an unusual fourth seed, Natalia Grossman was the only athlete able to solve all four boulders in the women’s event, including a decisive flash on the fourth and most challenging one. The 20-year-old from Boulder won the third consecutive gold medal of her stellar season, also strengthening her position at the top of the current Boulder World Cup ranking.  Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Nonaka Miho of Japan finished second, winning silver with three tops and four zones. Grossman close friend and teammate Brooke Raboutou completed the podium in third position, taking bronze with three tops, four zones, and only one attempt-to-top more than Nonaka.  “I had no idea what to expect coming into this weekend, I wanted to make another back-to-back happen, but I wasn’t sure,” said Grossman after the final. “There were so many points I wanted to give up in this round, I thought it was over after the first boulder, and it was hard to stay positive, but I made it.”   Team Japan secured the third Boulder World Cup gold medal out of four events in 2022, with the third different climber: after Narasaki Tomoa and Fujii Kokoro respectively won gold in Meiringen, Switzerland, and Seoul, South Korea, Ogata Yoshiyuki jumped on the highest step of the podium in Salt Lake City, claiming his third career World Cup gold.  “This year I placed second in the first World Cup, then again third in Seoul, and second here last week, I was dreaming of taking the top of the podium and I’m very happy it finally happened!” commented Ogata.  Fujii completed the podium in third position, taking bronze with four tops, four zones, and a highest number of attempts to top than Ogata and Peharc.  Just outside of the medal positions, South Korean Olympian Chon Jongwon placed fourth with three tops and four zones, while Kawamata Rei, also representing Japan, took fifth place with three and three.  Competing in his first-ever World Cup final round, Ross Fulkerson of the United States of America closed in sixth place with two tops and four zones.  

Sports Bulletin Report Salt Lake City (USA):-The highly anticipated men’s and women’s Speed finals of the International Federation of Sport climbing (IFSC) World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, lived up to the expectations. Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia secured the second World Cup gold medal of the 2022 season, winning the gold medal race against Tobias Plangger of Austria, who fell halfway through the route and allowed Leonardo to finish with an easy 6.33. After placing fourth at the two previous Speed World Cup events, 2019 world champion Ludovico Fossali of Italy finally won the first medal of his season, prevailing over Marcin Dzienski of Poland in the bronze medal race: 5.49 against 5.56. In the women’s event, the Polish team took three of the top four positions: Tokyo 2020 Olympian Aleksandra Miroslaw once again proved to be unbeatable, winning the third consecutive gold of her season with the extraordinary time of 6.54. Home favourite Emma Hunt of the United States of America placed second, falling in the race for gold. Aleksandra Kalucka, also of Poland, bested her twin sister Natalia in the race for the third place, securing the bronze medal with 7.96 seconds. Earlier, in the qualification rounds, Leonardo’s teammate Kiromal Katibin set a new men’s Speed world record with 5.10 seconds; while Miroslaw bested her own world record and set the mark at 6.53. “I felt great today,” said Leonardo after the medal ceremony. “To pair this gold medal with the world record set by my teammate is awesome. We made history once again!” “Luckily for me, the feeling to have a world record set in qualification in not new, as I did the same in Seoul,” commented Miroslaw. “I simply focus on my precision, and try not to make mistakes, and it works!”

Sports Bulletin Report Salt Lake City (USA):-The second, consecutive International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, kicked off in great style, as in the men’s Speed qualification, Kiromal Katibin of Indonesia broke the world record for the second time in three weeks, hitting the finish pad at 5.10 seconds. Katibin bested the 5.17 he set at the IFSC World Cup in Seoul, South Korea, on 6 May, also taking the top position in the men’s Speed qualification ranking. His teammate Veddriq Leonardo placed second with 5.28; John Brosler of the United States of America placed third with 5.57 One year ago, also in Salt Lake City, Katibin was the first climber to break the historical 5.47-record set by Reza Alipour of Iran in Nanjing, China, on 30 April 2017. Shortly after Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin signed a new men’s Speed world record 5.10, another historical moment took place at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. In the second race of her qualification round, after she previously closed with 6.68, the second fastest time ever – Aleksandra Miroslaw of Poland climbed the Speed route in 6.53 seconds and set her third consecutive world record. Miroslaw first broke the 6.99 set by Russian specialist Iulia Kapliina at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, where she stopped the clock at 6.84. Then, in the opening Speed event of the 2022 season – the IFSC World Cup in Seoul, South Korea – the Polish climber bested her own time and set the bar at 6.64. The 6.53 marked in Salt Lake City also placed her at the top of the women’s table, followed by her teammate Aleksandra Kalucka, second with 7.04, and home favourite Emma Hunt of the United States of America, third with 7.05.

Sports Bulletin Report Torino (Itay):-The International Sport Climbing Federation (IFSC) announced that the IFSC Boulder World Cup originally scheduled in May 2022, has been rescheduled as the IFSC Boulder & Lead World Cup in Morioka-Iwate, Japan. In what will be the first international Sport Climbing event held in Japan since the sport’s successful Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 last summer, the World Cup in Morioka-Iwate will take place this from 20 to 22 October. The Morioka-Iwate competition will be the first IFSC World Cup held in Japan since the World Cup in Inzai in October 2019. It will also be loaded with Olympic flavours. Morioka-Iwate will be the first IFSC event to feature the Boulder & Lead discipline, which will be one of the two medal events at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and it will also be the final event of the 2022 IFSC season, pointing enticingly to the 2023 season when the qualification path to Paris 2024 officially begins. IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the local government of Morioka-Iwate for their desire to welcome this event and our athletes from around the world. It will be a pleasure for all of us to return to Japan after making history in Tokyo last summer. It will also be an opportunity to look with excitement toward the future with the new Boulder & Lead format, which will provide a great test for our athletes ahead of the start of our qualifying campaign for Paris 2024 the following season.”

Sports Bulletin Repot Salt Lake City (USA):-The first of three International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) events scheduled in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, came to an end tonight, at Pioneer Park, in front of a roaring crowd. The opening act of the night saw France’s young talent Mejdi Schalck finally to climb on the highest step of an IFSC World Cup podium. The 18-year-old from Chambery crushed the competition with a fantastic performance, solving a full range of four, challenging and diverse problems. Schalck is also the first non-Japanese climber to win a men’s Boulder World Cup since Sean Bailey of the United States of America took gold in Salt Lake City in May 2021. Ogata Yoshiyuki of Japan also finished with four tops and four zones, but placed second behind Schalck because of a higher number of attempts to top. Ogata won silver and placed on the Boulder World Cup podium for the third time in 2022. A second Japanese climber, Kawamata Rei, completed the podium in third place, winning bronze with three tops and four zones. Austria’s Nicolai Uznik, Germany’s Yannick Flohé, and Austria’s Jakob Schubert respectively finished in fourth, fifth, and sixth position. In the women’s event, home favourite Natalia Grossman secured her second consecutive Boulder World Cup gold with another fantastic round. On her way to the podium, Grossman flashed two of the four boulders she had to face, and eventually closed the round being the only finalists with four tops and as many zones. Team USA also won silver with Brooke Raboutou, who finished in second place with three tops and four zones. Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Nonaka Miho also placed on the podium, winning bronze with 3 tops and four zones. Two Austrian athletes placed just outside of the podium: Jessica Pilz finished in fourth position, while Franziska Sterrer placed fifth after closing the semi-final round tied at the top of the ranking with Raboutou. Camilla Moroni of Italy closed sixth, at the bottom of the table.