Day one at the IFSC Climbing World Cup Innsbruck 2025 saw elite female climbers return to the spotlight and new contenders rise to the occasion. With a stacked field and high expectations heading towards the World Championships, Annie Sanders of the USA and Nakamura Mao of Japan topped the standings, while Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret made her long-awaited return to international competition.

AN IMPRESSIVE START IN INNSBRUCK

The women's Boulder qualification round concluded with Sanders and Nakamura sharing first place after both athletes topped all five boulders in their respective group, with Sanders scoring 124.7 points and flashing three problems in group A, and Nakamura edging her by a tenth with 124.8 points and four flashes in group B.

GARNBRET RETURNS TO WORLD CUP STAGE

Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret competed for the first time on the World Cup circuit since Koper 2024, climbing in group A and finishing fifth overall with 109.6 points. She missed the top on boulder number one, but recovered strongly to secure a spot in the semi-final round.

“It feels good to be back,” said Garnbret. “Honestly, I wasn’t as nervous as I expected, but you can’t help it… coming back for the last Boulder World Cup after nine months is not so easy, and I did feel a bit rusty on the first boulder, but after the second one I felt like the normal Janja again. It’s nice to break the ice, now I’m looking forward to the real thing on Friday.”

Joking about a rare mid-attempt shoe swap, she added: “I’m not proud to have changed my shoes in between attempts, because I’m a firm believer that you should not do that, but I did it and I feel ashamed… just a little bit!”

“My skin felt very weird, I was kind of slipping, which never happened before. All in all, I felt good, felt ready, and everything is where it should be.”

FAMILIAR NAMES IN THE MIX

The winners of the last two IFSC Boulder World Cup competitions also secured spots in the semi-final: Erin McNeice of Great Britain, winner in Bern, Switzerland, finished in third place overall, while Oriane Bertone of France, gold medallist in Prague, Czechia, placed seventh.

For the Women’s Boulder complete results click here.

NEXT UP

The schedule of day two has been adjusted due to heavy storms forecast at the original time. Men's Boulder semi-final, therefore, is set to begin at 9:00 (UTC+2:00), while men's final is still expected to start at 19:30.

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.