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Sean McColl Wows Crowd and Finishes Fifth, Kranj Results

Canadian Sean McColl, who has been competing on the international level for nearly 15 years, competed in his first lead final this season.

And he wowed the crowd with an eye-popping one-handed grab and finished in fifth place. Watch below.

I’m not sure how my shoulders are still in their sockets but this move is the absolute closest I have been to falling and still managed to hang on ? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The move seemed so simple and it wasn’t until I let my right foot cut that the “barn door” quickly started opening. I’m sure a lot of heifer ? escaped during this filming but at least I got that darn door closed ? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ One last route tonight, starting at 18:00 CEST. Live stream in profile link! ⤴️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?: @becca_frangos ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @adidasterrex @scarpana @walltopia @joerockheads @verticalartclimbing @flashedclimbing @perfect_descent #verticalart #climbing #train #canada #instagood #picoftheday #photooftheday #athlete #igers #amazing #sports #fitspo #gymlife #power #fitfam #adventure #fitness #work #workhard #workout #strength #challenge #follow #ninja #gym #fun

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Stefano Ghisolfi of Italy and Jain Kim of Korea returned to the top of the IFSC World Cup podium at the fifth Lead event of 2018 in Kranj, Slovenia.

Italy and Japan excelled in the men’s semifinal, each team sending three athletes to finals in Kranj, hosting lead World Cup events since 1996.

Big moves and an early nerve-testing jump opened the men’s final route, followed by a bat-hang at the route’s most over-hanging section as it curved across the short but challenging Lead wall.

Marcello Bombardi of Italy began the final by setting a formidable high point just over a handful of moves from the top hold, but Japan’s Masahiro Higuchi efficiently solved the first crux move at the bat-hang to match Bombardi’s high point for his first IFSC World Cup medal on count-back to their semifinal scores.

Ghisolfi cruised through the first crux as well and fought the pump on the concluding moves to complete the first top in finals and secure a medal in Kranj.

That medal turned to gold when lead world champion Austrian Jakob Schubert, powering his way to the top hold, peeled off the last move to place second.

It was the second victory for Ghisolfi this year, who improved to 29 points behind Schubert in the Lead season rankings with only two events remaining.

Yuki Hada and Kokoro Fujii of Japan and Italy’s Francesco Vettorata also competed in finals and climbed well this weekend.

Three Austrian and two Slovenian athletes advanced to the women’s final in Kranj. Big moves started the women’s final route too, with another risky jump early on the wall followed by technical positioning to conserve energy and maintain friction on the overhanging sections of the route. A

ustrian Katharina Posch started strong by sticking the jump and continuing onward for an early lead. The next three finalists dropped at the dyno: veteran Mina Markovic of Slovenia, competing in her 15th Lead World Cup in Kranj, and Swiss Katherine Choong and 16-year-old Japanese climber Natsumi Hirano, IFSC World Cup finalists for the first time.

Hannah Schubert stuck the jump and surpassed teammate Posch’s high point for her first IFSC World Cup medal, falling at the steepest section of the Lead wall where footholds disappear and handholds become even more slippery. Lead season frontrunner Janja Garnbret of Slovenia fell at the same upper crux move, moving ahead on count-back to their semifinal scores but leaving the door open for Lead world champion Jessica Pilz of Austria and Kim.

Only Garnbret and Pilz had won gold medals in Lead this season before Kranj, but that changed when Pilz struggled at the technical moves following the jump to finish between teammates Schubert and Posch. Last to climb in Kranj, Kim held the crux sloper and rose to the headwall for her 28th IFSC World Cup victory.

Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes Vita Lukan and Lucka Rakovec of Slovenia placed 20th and 24th at home, one week before Buenos Aires. Visit the Kranj event page for full results and replays.

The IFSC World Cup season concludes with the second stage of the 2018 China Tour in Wujiang and Xiamen, the final lead and speed events.

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