Sports Bulletin Report
Innsbruck (Austria):-The sixth and last Boulder competition of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2023 concluded at the Kletterzentrum in Innsbruck, Austria.
Earning himself the headline of the night was Japanese rising start Anraku Sorato, who, at 16 years old, was able to pocket both his first World Cup gold medal, and the men’s Boulder 2023 title.
Sorato, who previously won silver at this year’s IFSC World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, climbed atop the podium with a performance made of three tops and three zones, but also being very close solve problem number three – a creative slab featuring a run-start and a 180° spin.
Following in silver-medal position was Japan’s Narasaki Meichi – younger brother of Olympian and multiple-medal winner Tomoa. Differently from Anraku, Narasaki managed to solve the slab – securing the top with only a couple of seconds left on the clock – but scored zero on boulder number two, eventually finishing with three tops, three zones, and four attempts to top more than his teammate.
Making his first appearance in a World Cup final round, Sam Avezou of France put the icing on his cake by winning bronze with two tops and two zones. South Korea’s Chon Jongwon barely missed the podium, finishing in fourth position with two tops, two zones, and a higher number of attempts than Avezou.
Coming from first and fourth places in the semi-final round, respectively, Belgium’s Simon Lorenzi and Nicolas Collin closed in the bottom two positions. Collin concluded fifth with two tops and two zones, while Lorenzi took sixth place with no score on the board.
Making his night even more memorable, Anraku Sorato was also awarded with the men’s Boulder season trophy, having surpassed South Korea’s Lee Dohyun with the 1,000 points he took in Innsbruck. Lee eventually placed second, and Narasaki Tomoa followed in third place.
