Sports Bulletin

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.

Sports Bulletin Report Villars (Switzeland):-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2022 is set to continue in the Swiss village of Villars this week, from 30 June to 2 July. Following the Lead season opener last weekend in Innsbruck, Austria, Villars’ Place du Rendez-Vous will welcome the second Lead round of the year, in addition to the fourth stage of the 2022 Speed World Cup Series. A total of 324 athletes – 150 women and 174 men – are registered to compete in Villars, representing 35 countries and territories. All eyes will be on Olympian Janja Garnbret in the women’s Lead event, with the Slovenian having secured her 33rd World Cup gold medal in Innsbruck. Should Garnbret climb her way onto the podium this weekend, she will walk away with the 50th World Cup medal of her career. After taking the silver medal in Innsbruck, Olympian and reigning Lead World Champion Seo Chaehyun, of South Korea, is also one to watch in Villars. Having made history in Innsbruck by becoming the first male to win Boulder and Lead at the same IFSC competition, Olympian Colin Duffy, of the USA, will be vying for another medal in the Villars men’s Lead event. Despite missing out on a podium position in his hometown of Innsbruck, Olympic bronze medallist and Lead World Champion Jakob Schubert, of Austria, could also see his name at the top of the score board this week. After three Speed World Cups in May – one in Seoul, South Korea, and two in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA – the Speed season has taken a month-long hiatus. However, the fastest climbers in the world will return to the walls this weekend and one question is looming in the Alpine air – will Villars see the setting of a new Speed world record?  Polish Olympian Aleksandra Miroslaw and Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin have each set not one, but two world records so far this season. At the opening Speed World Cup of the year in Seoul, Miroslaw set a new record of 6.64 seconds, beating the previous world record of 6.84 seconds which she set at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. However in Salt Lake City, the Olympian topped the Speed wall in a staggering 6.53 seconds, setting her third consecutive world record. Katibin stopped the clock at 5.17 seconds in Seoul – 0.03 seconds faster than the previous record set by his teammate, Veddriq Leonardo, last year. In Salt Lake City, the Indonesian bested his earlier time with a new record of 5.10 seconds, also achieving his third world record. As such, spectators will be watching for another potential World Record this weekend. The competition schedule is as follows: SCHEDULE (UTC+2:00) Friday, 1 July: 9:00 AM - Lead qualifications 9:00 PM - Speed finals Saturday, 2 July: 10:00 AM - Lead semi-finals 8:00 PM - Men's Lead final

Sports Bulletin Report Innsbruck (Austria):-The opening Lead World Cup of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2022 concluded this evening in Innsbruck, Austria, where Olympians Janja Garnbret, of Slovenia, and Colin Duffy, of the USA, claimed the Lead season’s first gold medals. In doing so, Garnbret bagged the 33rd gold medal of her World Cup career, while Duffy made history by becoming the first male athlete to win Boulder and Lead at the same event. 33RD GOLD FOR GARNBRET: Having skipped the Boulder season to focus on Lead training – bar the IFSC Boulder World Cup Meiringen 2022 where she ranked first – Olympic gold medallist Garnbret returned to competition on full form this weekend, climbing her way onto the women’s Lead final podium in first position. With a score of 39+, Garnbret earned the 33rd World Cup gold medal of her glittering career so far. Tonight’s win marks the 19th World Cup gold that the Slovenian has won in Lead alone. “It’s good to be back! I think it was a good decision to skip Boulder comps, I could come back refreshed with a fresh mind, so I really enjoyed the weekend. I won’t lie, I was nervous because I haven’t done a competition for so long, but I enjoyed the whole weekend and it just feels so good to be back,” said Garnbret after adding another gold medal to her growing collection.  “I need to thank the routesetting team because they did an amazing job. I love hard routes and especially after semi’s was too easy, we got something completely opposite – probably the hardest route I’ve ever climbed on the World Cup circuit! It’s amazing and I hope this continues the whole season,” she added about this evening’s route, excited at the level of difficulty offered.  Fellow Olympian and reigning Lead World Champion Seo Chaehyun, of South Korea, scored 27+ in the first Lead final of the season and thus, walked away with a silver medal. Having made her debut on the World Cup circuit in 2019, Seo has so far stepped onto the podium a total of eight times, with tonight marking her ninth World Cup medal win. Completing the women’s podium in third position was Olympian Brooke Raboutou, of the USA. The American concluded with a score of 27+ to match Seo, yet placed third due using more time than the Korean. A bronze medal win tonight is the eighth World Cup medal that Raboutou has earned so far. Italian Olympian Laura Rogora placed fourth, also with a score of 27+ but using more time than Seo and Raboutou. Japan’s Tanii Natsuki ranked fifth with 25+, the USA’s Natalia Grossman scored 22 and placed sixth, Slovenia’s Vita Lukan placed seventh with 16, while Austrian Olympian Jessica Pilz placed eighth with 8+ after a disappointing early slip. DUFFY MAKES HISTORY WITH DOUBLE WIN: Fresh from the podium of the Boulder World Cup in Innsbruck earlier this week, American Olympian Colin Duffy made Sport Climbing history this evening, by becoming the first male athlete to win Boulder and Lead at the same IFSC competition. Until tonight, this had only been achieved by a female athletes – Janja Garnbret at the World Cup in Innsbruck last year. This is Duffy’s third World Cup medal to date and indeed, his second of the week. “Coming into this competition I was pretty unsure about how Boulder would go, and with the start of the Lead season you never know how fit everyone else is, but I was excited to compete here in Innsbruck. I love this venue and things have just gone magically for me here,” said Duffy following his win. When questioned on whether he felt the effects of Boulder in today’s final, he added: “I was feeling quite tired both physically and mentally. I think keeping yourself together through that many rounds of hard competition is really hard on the mind, but as soon as I stepped on the stage for Lead finals I was right back in the zone. I was just happy to climb. I knew the stakes were possible to get the double win, but at the end of the day I really just wanted to climb to my potential.” Japan’s Yurikusa Ao completed the competition in second place with a score of 37+. Competing in his second ever World Cup final, tonight Yurikusa bagged the first World Cup medal of his career.

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.