The IFSC Climbing World Cup Innsbruck 2025 saw its men’s Boulder semi-final unfold with technical, low-scoring problems challenging the best climbers in the world. Anraku Sorato of Japan once again proved his consistency, topping three boulders to lead the field with 84.8 points—edging out South Korea’s Lee Dohyun by just 0.3 points.

ANRAKU AND LEE STAND OUT

Only two athletes managed more than one top in the semi-final round – and both delivered standout performances. 18-year-old Anraku topped M1, M2, and M4, and he only required two more attempts, while Lee claimed second place with 84.5 points after missing the top on M1 and being the only competitor to top M3.

BATTLE FOR FINAL SPOTS

The remaining six places in the final were secured with just four top in total, as zones and attempts became the defining metric for advancement. Mejdi Schalck of France placed third with 54.5 points, followed closely by Amagasa Sohta of Japan with 54.4. Paris 2024 champion Toby Roberts of Great Britain and his compatriot Maximillian Milne respectively took fifth and sixth place: Roberts topped the first boulder of his round, Milne his fourth and last.

Milne said: "I love to be in final here, it's an amazing venue, and amazing crowd.

"This year I decided to step back a little bit, really focusing on the World Championships and training. I skipped half of the World Cup season to dive head down into training, I went to Salt Lake City and Prague strong and fit, I made semi-final but didn't quite piece it together on those boulders.

"I had a bit of pressure coming here, because I know my shape is good, best it's ever been, but that doesn't make you advance to the next round, there are so many other little things that can make a big difference."

Austria’s Nicolai Uznik and Belgium’s Hannes Van Duysen tied in seventh with 39.8 points, both showing impressive adaptability with four zones but unable to secure a top.

Van Duysen said: "The semi-final was very hard, especially because of the hot weather. I felt like in every boulder I was losing so much energy, and in the end I felt empty and couldn't really give more.

"It's already the second time this year that I have to wait until the end, I hope I don't have to get used to it, it's horrible. You never want to watch somebody climb and hope that they fall, but at same time hoping you make final.  I prefer to top some boulders and make final.

"Tonight it will be my rthird final of the season, the first two were okay, I missed the podium on some details. I hope I will be able to put everything together, climb on a high level and hopefully get a medal."

For the Men’s Boulder complete results click here.

NEXT UP

The men's Boulder final is scheduled for tonight at 19:30 (UTC+2:00), while women's semi-final and final are both taking place tomorrow.

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.