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Chamonix World Cup and New Canadian Speed Record

The first IFSC Lead World Cup, which took place in Chamonix, wrapped up after some exciting rounds of competition.

Thousands of fans filled the seats for the finals at the Chamonix Lead World Cup. After three days of climbing, Spain’s Ramon Julian Puigblanque and Slovenia’s Mina Markovic took top spots.

The Chamonix World Cup full house on July 12.  Photo IFSC
The Chamonix World Cup full house on July 12. Photo IFSC

For the men, Puigblanque took top spot despite an big fall from the last hold of the men’s last problem of the evening. Czech climber Adam Ondra made it to within one move of the last hold of the last problem and finished in second. In third was German climber Sebastian Halenke.

Chamonix World Cup men's podium.  Photo IFSC
Chamonix World Cup lead men’s podium. Photo IFSC

Canadian men were up against some of the world’s best, but managed to pull out some strong performances: Sean McColl finished in 11th, Elan Jonas McRae in 57th, Kyle Murdoch in 74th and Francis Bilodeau in 87th. There was a record 90 men in the competition. Full results here.

Sean McColl during qualifiers at the Chamonix World Cup.  Photo Sean McColl's Facebook page
Sean McColl during qualifiers at the Chamonix World Cup. Photo Sean McColl’s Facebook page

For the women, Markovic was joined on the podium by fellow Slovenian climber, 16-year-old Janja Gambret in second. In third was Austrian climber Jessica Pilz. There were no Canadian women competing in the in the Lead World Cup. Full results here.

Chamonix World Cup women's lead podium.  Photo IFSC
Chamonix World Cup women’s lead podium. Photo IFSC

In the Speed World Cup, Robert Stewart-Patterson set a Canadian record of 6.63 seconds. It was no match for Czech climber Libor Hroza’s time of 5.8 seconds. In second was Ukranian climber Danyil Boldyrev and in third was Chinese climber Qixin Zhong. Canadians McColl finished in 33rd and Bilodeau in 34th. Full results here.

Canadian Roberts Stewart-Patterson gets psyched for the Speed World Cup.  Photo Edyta Ropek
Canadian Roberts Stewart-Patterson gets psyched for the Speed World Cup. Photo Edyta Ropek

For the women’s Speed World Cup, Canadian Alison Stewart-Patterson finished in 29th with a time of 11.55. In first was French climber Anouck Jaubert, second was Russian Luliia Kaplina and in third was Russian Mariia Krasavina. Full results here.

Watch the Chamonix Lead World Cup finals:

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