IFSC World Cup Season 2018 to Conclude in Xiamen

After months of elite Sport Climbing, the IFSC World Cup season concludes next weekend in Xiamen, China, the seventh Lead and eigth Speed events.

Canadians Becca Frangos, Elan Jonas-McRae, Aidas Doyle, Rahul Sapra, Ivan Luo and Brandon Barraclough.

Janja Garnbret (SLO) and Jakob Schubert (AUT) clinched* the Lead season titles at IFSC World Cup Wujiang last weekend and Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) and Jessica Pilz (AUT) secured the next steps of the Lead season podium.

Who will be the fastest in #IFSCwc Xiamen? Check the starters, link in our bio, and cast your predictions! Credit: ? @thecircuitclimbing

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Jain Kim (KOR) will join Garnbret and Pilz on the women’s Lead podium at season’s end, but the final spot on the men’s Lead season podium has yet to be decided. After enduring longest on the semi-final route in Wujiang, Romain Desgranges (FRA) soared in the men’s Lead season ranking.

Even if Domen Skofic (SLO) takes the victory in Xiamen, two-time Lead season medalist Desgranges can remain on the Lead season podium for a third consecutive season by winning a medal in Xiamen.

Austria, Slovenia and Japan hold the advantage in the team ranking for Lead, and strong performances at the last event could change the current ordering.

In Speed, Anouck Jaubert (FRA) was consistently quick in Wujiang and clinched the women’s Speed season title, but the remaing spots on the men and women’s Speed season podiums are up for grabs.

Fully focused for the last Lead & Speed World Cup of the 2018 season this weekend in Xiamen. Let’s do this! ? ? @thecircuitclimbing . . . @rockymountainsoapco @pauwfoundation @lasportivana @flashedclimbing @movementfactoryholds @piseworld @peakkinetics #flashedpodium #climbfreeclimbfearlessly #poweredbypise #ifscwc2018 #climbing #klettern #escalade #strong #focus #teamcanada

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Danyil Boldyrev (UKR) leads among the men, but Dmitrii Timofeev (RUS), Reza Alipourshenzandifar (IRI), Bassa Mawem (FRA) and Aleksandr Shilov (RUS) can all mathemetically overtake Boldyrev for the men’s Speed season title.

Russian teammates Iuliia Kaplina and Mariia Krasavina currently rank thirrd and 2nd among the women, but a surging Aries Susanti Rahayu (INA) could disrupt their plans. Russia has yet to lose the team ranking in Speed and is poised to continue their winning streak after dominating all season long, followed by France and Indonesia.

This year, the Overall season titles are decided by a new calculation. Athletes competing in two or more Bouldering, Lead and Speed events are given ranking points based on their relative ranking against one another at counting events.

Their top two events per discipline are counted, and the six ranking points are multiplied. Garnbret and Schubert displaced Japanese teammates Tomoa Narasaki and Miho Nonaka from provisional 1st place in Wujiang, and both Overall season podiums will be decided in Xiamen.

Highlights 2018