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Janja Garnbret and Tomoa Narasaki Win Adidas Rockstars

This weekend has seen the World’s top boulderers compete in Germany at the Adidas Rockstars. Over 70 invited athletes from over 22 countries with musical performances and a big crowd of over 3,500 fans came together for the event. Canadians Sean McColl and Alannah Yip finished in the top-20 in Semi-finals.

Jessica Pilz (AUT) and Janja Garnbret (SLO) were out first and it was a tense super-final which swung one way then the other, with both climbers coming close to reaching the buzzer, only to fall at the last move. With 90 seconds left on the clock, both climbers were on the crash mats, tired from their previous efforts but beaming broad smiles as the audience roared them on. Time ran out with both athletes on the wall but someone had to win so they climbed on! Finally, Janja reached up for the crucial top hold and as soon as she touched it, the win was a formality. She flopped onto the top of the wall, took a second to compose herself and pressed the buzzer to claim the adidas ROCKSTARS title, a week after taking the World Championship lead final. She is just 17 years old and her trophy cabinet is already rammed full.

Women’s Result
1. Janja Garnbret (SLO)
2. Jessica Pilz (AUT)
3. Miho Nonaka (JAP)
4. Stasa Gejo (SER)
5. Petra Klingler (SUI)
6. Leah Crane (GBR)
7. Akiyo Noguchi (JAP)
8. Mina Markovic (SLO)

Jan Hojer (GER) and Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) made their way onto the stage. In front of a home crowd, Jan inevitably got the bigger cheer but all of Tomoa’s victories this year have come away from Japan, so he can cope just fine with or without the crowd supporting him. Within 30 seconds of the super-final beginning, Tomoa had proved this again. He was already on top of the wall, with the buzzer pressed and his arms in the air having flashed the boulder. Jan also flashed it but just couldn’t live with the speed that Tomoa climbed. Jan looked disappointed but after an otherwise poor season (by his standards) he should reflect in the next few weeks that second place to the dominant force in male bouldering in 2016 probably isn’t a bad result.

Men’s Result
1. Tomoa Narasaki (JPN)
2. Jan Hojer (GER)
3. Jongwon Chon (KOR)
4. Alban Levier (FRA)
5. Rustam Gelmanov (RUS)
6. Jernej Kruder (SLO)

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