This Weekend Is Sean McColl’s 174th World Cup
Here's how and when to watch the Lead World Cup in Briançon, France on Friday and Saturday
Photo by: Eddie Fowke/IFSC
Building off the momentum of the event in Chamonix last week, the IFSC Lead World Cup moves to Briançon, France this weekend for the fourth lead event of 2023. Qualifiers and semi-finals are being held on Friday July 14. Both the men’s and women’s finals will be held the following day, Saturday July 15.
Canadian superstar Sean McColl is expected to compete at the event. It will be his 174th World Cup appearance across all disciplines – a truly staggering number. McColl, 35, holds the all-time record for the most World Cup participations of any World Cup athlete ever. In Briançon, he’ll be joined by Canadian teammates Alannah Yip, Indiana Chapman, Babette Roy, and the Baudrand brothers, Oscar and Victor.
Some other big names in lead climbing are expected to be there including Chaehyun Seo, Mia Krampl, Sean Bailey, and Jesse Grupper. Stefano Ghisolfi is expected to make his return to the World Cup stage, his first appearance of the 2023 series. Last weekend’s winners in Chamonix, Jain Kim and Toby Roberts, are also registered to compete.
A few of climbing’s biggest stars are sitting out of the event, perhaps to focus more on training for the upcoming 2023 World Championships, which will serve as the first 2024 Olympic qualifier event. Janja Garnbret, Jessica Pilz, Adam Ondra, Alex Megos, and Jakob Schubert, for example, are not registered to compete in Briançon.
Briançon Livestream Schedule
The semi-finals and finals will be livestreamed on the IFSC’s Youtube Channel. The schedule is listed below:
Lead Semi-finals – Friday July 14 – 2:30pm ET (11:30am PT)
Men’s Lead Finals – Saturday July 15 – 2:30pm ET (11:30pm PT)
Women’s Lead Finals – Saturday July 15 – 3:30pm ET (12:30pm PT)
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