The men’s Boulder qualification round at the IFSC Climbing World Cup Innsbruck 2025 saw tight battles across both groups of competitors, with elite climbers and promising debutants staking their claim for a spot in the semi-final.

A total of 24 athletes advanced from the morning session at Kletterzentrum Innsbruck, now setting their sight on tomorrow’s round.

ANRAKU, LEE TOP QUALIFICATIONS GROUPS

Japan’s Anraku Sorato topped Group A with a dominant score of 95.0 points, flashing three of the five boulders and adding two more flash zones to his tally. In Group B, South Korea’s Lee Dohyun delivered a near-perfect round, finishing first with 109.1 points and four tops, confirming his strong form ahead of the semi-finals.

FRESH CHAMPIONS AND BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCES

Pan Yufei of China, fresh off his victory at the last Boulder World Cup in Bern, Switzerland, continued his solid run by taking third place overall with 99.2 points in Group B.

“Qualification was okay, even though I couldn’t find the beta for the last boulder, but the problems were fun,” commented Pan at the end of his round.

“For a few days after Bern I felt a bit of pressure, but there is no way for me to think like that and put too much pressure on this competition. I hope I can learn more from each round and each boulder. I forget what I got in Bern and start from zero, I feel relaxed.”

Great Britain’s Toby Roberts, the Olympic champion in Boulder & Lead at Paris 2024, also advanced to the next round with 94.6 points, placing fifth overall and keeping himself in contention for what would be his first Boulder final in 2025.

Among the biggest surprises of the round was Italy’s Luca Boldrini. The 19-year-old, competing in his first World Cup, climbed confidently and secured 84.5 points in Group B, enough to finish 19th overall and move into the semi-finals.

Boldrini said: “I had no expectations, being my first-ever World Cup. I tried to have fun, and I had a lot of fun, the result is just a consequence. I’m very happy with it!

“I expect semi-final boulders to be much harder, and I will be a lot more tired. I will have to put all my effort, and it can still be a good round for me.”

For the men’s Boulder qualification complete results click here.

NEXT UP

The men’s Boulder semi-final round will take place tomorrow at 9:00 (UTC+2:00), while final is scheduled 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.