The first Asian stop of the 2015 IFSC World Cup took place in Chongqing this past weekend. The municipality of Chongqing in Southwest China was once again in the spotlight, and the heat didn’t prevent the world’s best boulderers and speed climbers from putting on an impressive show in front of a large crowd. In Bouldering, all-time favorites managed to hold onto gold despite fierce competition from the rising stars, while the Speed competition saw a new World Record in the women’s category.
In Bouldering, Canadian all-rounder Sean McColl took the gold medal after completing all four problems in the Finals – a performance which places him third in the overall ranking. Rising stars Jongwon Chon of Korea and Tsukuru Hori of Japan placed second and third respectively, thus establishing themselves as forces to be reckoned with in competition climbing this season.
November 4, 2023 – Val Verzasca, Switzerland – The Verzasca Dam, an engineering marvel nestled in the picturesque Val Verzasca of Switzerland that stands 220 meters tall, became the stage for the climbing elite. Red Bull Dual Ascent, now in its
second edition, attracted 24 of the world's best…
In the women’s field, all-time favorite Akiyo Noguchi secured gold after an almost flawless performance, having climbed all four problems of the Finals in only five attempts. She is now far ahead in the overall ranking, and with only three Bouldering World Cups left this season, it is a real question whether she can still be beaten. In the meantime, rising star Miho Nonaka of Japan secured second place just ahead of Great Britain’s Shauna Coxey, who needed one more attempt to complete a problem.
A New World Record
In Speed, Qixin Zhong secured gold in front of his home crowd after a much-disputed Final against Ukrainian strongman Danyil Boldyrev. It is a coronation for the Chinese climber, who maintains his lead in the overall ranking and amps up his national hero status amongst the Chinese climbing community. Libor Hroza, who came very close to breaking the current World Record during Finals, completed the podium.
In the women’s category, Iuliia Kaplina established a new World Record during Qualifications at 7.56. She shattered her previous World Record, which she had set in Saanich (CAN), by as much as 0.18s, confirming her status as fastest female climber in the world. Yet, she was not able to climb as fast during Finals, and she placed third, while her teammate Mariia Krasavina took the gold medal after a breathtaking grand finale against Polish climber Edita Ropek.
Next Stop: Haijang
The IFSC World Cup Asian Tour will be stopping in Haiyang (CHN) on 26-27 June, 2015, for another dual Bouldering and Speed competition. The city of “Ocean and Sun” will provide a splendid setting to a display of world-class climbing! Stay tuned!
Adam Ondra dominated the bouldering scene again and won a gold medal in the second World Cup competition in Salt Lake City. He took second place in the qualification and proceeded to the finals from the same position. This time, he was surprised by the victory and admits that a little luck was…
Adam Ondra completed today's finals in Meiringen, Switzerland, and won a gold medal in the first competition of this year's World Cup. He kept first place in bouldering continuously from the qualification until the very exciting finals. He was satisfied with his excellent form and appreciated a…
