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Watch Sean McColl in Briancon World Cup Finals

Sean McColl is hot off his third-place finish at The World Games and is heading into Finals at the Briancon World Cup.

Climbing strong in Qualifications and Semis, McColl is moving forward in seventh place. In 2016, McColl finished in third place in Briancon.

Other Canadians who made the trip include: Elan Jonas McRae finished in 25th, Kyle Murdoch in 61st, Becca Frangos in 40th and Elina Avramova in 57th. Watch Finals below.

Finals Climbers Male/Female:
1. Romain Desgranges (FRA) / Janja Garnbret (SLO)
2. Seba Halenke (GER) / Jain Kim (KOR)
3. Masahiro Higuchi (JPN) / Anak Verhoeven (BEL)
4. Marcello Bombardi (ITA) / Jess Pilz (AUT)
5. Sean Bailey (USA) / Mina Markovic (SLO)
6. Sean McColl (CAN) / Julia Chanourdie (FRA)
7. Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) / Margo Hayes (USA)
8. Loic Shimatani (JPN) / Salmoe Romain (FRA)

Pre-comp report from IFSC: Briançon has been gathering top Lead athletes for the IFSC World Cup since 2011, and several thousand fans regularly attend finals. This week the commune in southeast France welcomes a new talented group of The World Games champions, IFSC World Cup season champions and rising stars.

Keiichiro Korenaga of Japan excelled in Wroclaw, claiming a Gold medal at The World Games amongst the most elite Lead athletes. Sean McColl of Canada joined him on the podium and will also compete in Briançon.

Romain Desgranges just missed out on a medal at Wroclaw and the first IFSC World Cup in France this year at Chamonix, but he will again have the support of his home crowd this week.

For the women, Anak Verhoeven of Belgium has been climbing well all season, finishing among the top athletes at every Lead event. She will again be in the spotlight in Briançon after winning Gold at Wroclaw. Also follow the results of Julia Chanourdie, competing at home like Desgranges. She won a Bronze medal at The World Games and is a strong contender for another podium.

Reigning season champions Janja Garnbret and Domen Skofic were in control last year in Briançon, bringing two Gold medals back to Slovenia. Garnbret has yet to lose an IFSC Lead World Cup in 2017, and Skofic will look to rebound after missing finals at Chamonix. Their teammate Mina Markovic missed Briançon last year and should be among the top finishers this year.

A number of rising stars will be competing on Friday. Ukranian Fedir Samoilov set the bar high at Villars with his first IFSC World Cup podium, and he will look to rebound after an early fall in Chamonix semi-finals. Also falling early was Margo Hayes of the USA, who will climb alongside teammates Brooke Raboutou and Kai Lightner.

For France, Nolwenn Arc has not yet qualified for finals, but she was on the cusp at both Chamonix and Villars. Hannah Schubert of Austria broke the barrier for the first time at Villars and will look to repeat the feat in Briançon. Also track the progress of Giorgio Bendazzoli of Italy. The 18-year-old world youth champion will be competing at his first IFSC World Cup this season.

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