Gold for Janja Garnbret and Adam Ondra at Meiringen Boulder World Cup
It was the first Boulder World Cup since the start of Covid-19, but the climbers competed like there was never a break at all
Photo by: Petr Chodura
The first bouldering world cup in over a year took place this weekend in Meiringen, Switzerland. Climbers from around the world gathered for the event, but no Canadian made the trip. Canadian climbers are allowed to compete at the Salt Lake City World Cup in May, read more about that here.
Janja Garnbret, 22, dominated the event, topping all the finals problems. Adam Ondra, 28, took it to the wire, but ended up taking the win after topping men’s problem number four. The setting was solid throughout with a good mix of slab and big power moves.
Ondra took his 20th IFSC World Cup gold medal with the win. He got three tops and three zones, rejoicing in a scream of pure elation after completing the final problem. He’s also the reigning World Champion in Lead and will compete at the Olympic Games this summer.
In second place was Yoshiyuki Ogata, 23, of Japan, who had two tops and four zones; it was his fourth World Cup podium of his career. Tomoaki Takata, 26, completed the men’s podium in third position, with one top and four zones.
Having qualified in first place for the men’s semi-final, Japan’s Kokoro Fujii, 28, finished in fourth place, with teammate Sohta Amagasa, 20, closing in sixth, in his debut IFSC World Cup. The USA’s Nathaniel Coleman, 24, got fifth place, after fighting until the end to achieve a top on men’s four.
After sweeping the 2019 Boulder season, Garnbret claimed her seventh consecutive Boulder World Cup win. She flashed two problems in the final, finding a top for the remaining two problems in just two attempts. She won her 27th World Cup gold medal.
Aged just 16, Oriane Bertone is a new name on the circuit. She climbed her way into second place with two tops and four zones. Matching Bertone’s score and thus taking the bronze medal was Natalia Grossman, 19, of the U.S.A. Due to using more attempts than Bertone, Grossman finished the World Cup in third position.
Sport Climbing veteran and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Akiyo Noguchi, 31, of Japan, failed to achieve a top in the final and therefore missed out on the podium in fourth place. Garnbret’s compatriots Vita Lukan, 20, and Katja Debevec, 25, finished in fifth and sixth place respectively.
Finals Women / Men
Janja Garnbret SLO / Adam Ondra CZE
Oriane Bertone FRA / Yoshiyuki Ogata JPN
Natalia Grossman USA / Tomoaki Takata JPN
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