The men’s Boulder semi-final at the IFSC Climbing World Cup Bern 2025 delivered a standout performance from Lee Dohyun of South Korea, who surged into first place with 99.8 points and three consecutive flashes, placing more than 30 points ahead of his closest competitor.

LEE UNTOUCHABLE IN SEMI-FINAL

The South Korean 22-year-old was in a league of his own in Bern, solving boulders M2, M3, and M4 in his first attempts, closing with a nearly perfect scorecard. His top on M4, a complex slab problem, made him the only athlete to solve the boulder, further separating him from the field.

"I felt more comfortable than last week's competition," commented Lee. "I just want to enjoy this one, I did pretty well in semi-final and I'm satisfied with that.

"There were many powerful moves in the semi-final, some friction holds, and I like this style. Now I just want to enjoy the final."

ANRAKU SOLO JAPANESE FINALIST

Anraku Sorato of Japan placed second with 69.4 points, topping M2 and M3 with confidence. While a fixture in World Cup final rounds, Anraku stands alone this time as the only Japanese man in the top eight — a rare occurrence given Japan’s usual depth in the discipline.

Rounding out the top-three was Hannes Van Duysen of Belgium, who showed adaptability across all four boulders. With a top on M1 and zone points on the remaining three, Van Duysen finished with 54.5 to secure third place.

FINALISTS DECIDED

Also advancing to the final are Dayan Akhtar of Great Britain, fourth with 49.6; Paul Jenft of France, fifth with 44.4; and Pan Yufei of China, sixth with 44.3. The final two spots were claimed by Mejdi Schalck of France and Colin Duffy of the USA, who finished tied in seventh place with 34.2 points.

For the men’s Boulder semi-final complete results click here.

NEXT UP

The men’s Boulder final will close out the event later today in Bern, kicking off at 17:00 (UTC+2:00).

News and updates about the event will be available on the IFSC website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.