Women’s Boulder World Cup Final Cancelled
The event in Prague was cancelled due to high winds. Podium placements were decided by semi-final results.
Photo by: Slobodan Miskovic/IFSC
The fourth women’s Boulder World Cup of the 2025 season was held yesterday in Prague, Czechia. French climbers dominated the podium, with Oriane Bertone taking home gold and Agathe Calliet silver. Japan’s Melody Sekikawa earned bronze. Unfortunately, the final scores were based on the women’s semi-final standings, as the finals were cancelled due to “windy weather conditions and the inability to ensure the safety of the athletes and spectators” according to the IFSC.
This was not the first IFSC event of 2025 to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. The Speed World Cup held last week in Denver, Colorado was similarly cut short. Only the first round of races could be completed due to rain, with podium placements being decided by the best times in the round. These two events highlight the need for outdoor climbing wall installations that can withstand inclement weather, allowing climbers to compete rain or shine.
Prague was Bertone’s second Boulder World Cup gold medal. Her first gold was also earned in Prague when the city debuted on the World Cup circuit in 2023. Calliet and Sekikawa took to the podium for their first time ever. The next Boulder World Cup event will be held in Bern, Switzerland next week.
“What a comp, what a round, what a scenario, and more importantly what a team,” Bertone reveled on Instagram after the World Cup. “To be honest, it’s not exactly the way I wanted to bring the win back home. I felt strong going towards finals, and Prague has always been one of my favorite places ever. I wanted to put on the best show and climb the best I could. Walking through the same corridors I did two years ago, looking at the same walls and standing on the same mats as in 2023, it all felt special, just like it was yesterday.
“The weather had been playing with us a lot this week, and we knew this could happen. I said in previous posts I wanted to be consistent, as much in life as in the different rounds of the comps I will take part in. This Friday and Sunday, I was, and I am proud of the mindset and climbing I showed here in Prague, even if one round is missing. My semis round was one of the best I’ve done, and as I am disappointed I couldn’t climb some more in finals, what a feeling it is to WIN!
“After 3 comps and 3 time failing to grab my chance, what a feeling to go back home with everything I’ve been training for. What a feeling to see [Mejdi Schalck] win on Saturday, and dream all night of winning at the same time. What a feeling to call [Nico Januel] and tell him work is paying off, and I am stepping on the highest step of the podium. Nothing and nobody could take this away from me. I love climbing.”
Semi-final Results
- Oriane Bertone (FRA) 84.8
- Agathe Calliet (FRA) 69.7
- Melody Sekikawa (JPN) 69.5
- Erin McNeice (GBR) 69.3
- Emma Edwards (GBR) 54.5
- Anon Matsufuji (JPN) 54.5
- Jennifer Eucharia Buckley (SLO) 54.1
- Geila Macia Martin (ESP) 53.8
- Miho Nonaka (JPN) 44.6
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