Kruder Siblings conquer iconic Verzasca Dam
second edition, attracted 24 of the world's best…
In the men’s category, Ramón Julian Puigblanque of Spain took gold after a stunning performance. The Spanish powerhouse managed to grab the very last hold of the men’s finals, but could not control the swing and took a spectacular fall. All-time favorite Adam Ondra fell one move below and came second with a 52+, while outsider Sebastian Halenke took bronze.
The women’s competition saw incredible performances from the Slovenian team. Both Mina Markovic and rising star of Slovenia Janja Gambret, aged only 16, topped the Final route, and Mina won thanks to her results in the Semi-finals. Jessica Pilz completed the podium.
In the women’s category, Iuliia Kaplina broke her previous World Record by 0.03s, establishing a new World Record at 7:53s. She couldn’t climb as fast during finals, and local favourite Anouck Jaubert took gold in front of her home crowd. It is a coronation for the French climber, who proved that she was in podium-worthy shape with her gold medal in Haiyang two weeks ago. Mariia Krasavina of Russia completes the podium.
In the men’s field, Libor Hroza secured gold against Danyil Boldyrev after an exceptional situation: there was an exact tie between the two finalists at 5:70s, and they had to run the final again to pick a winner. The victory finally came to Libor Hroza after a false start from Danyil Boldyrev. Qixin Zhong took the bronze after a solid performance during the small final.
The IFSC Lead World Cup tour will be stopping in Briançon, France, for the first 2014 solo Lead competition. Rich with history since its start as a Roman village, this small Alpine city and its famous citadel will provide a picturesque background for our athletes’ scaling dizzying heights. Stay tuned!
Photos: © IFSC/Eddie Towke - the circuit climbing
Source: http://www.ifsc-climbing.org