Last year in Xiamen, Iuliia Kaplina of Russia placed second to win the season title in Speed over Anouck Jaubert of France. The rivalry has continued this season, with Kaplina finding the upper hand at IFSC World Cup Wujiang last weekend. The 7th and final Speed event in Xiamen will again determine who will be crowned season champion, and a win from either elite athlete will seal the deal. Kaplina’s teammate Mariia Krasavina has already secured the third spot on the season podium.¹

In the men’s field, Vladislav Deulin of Russia is guaranteed to finish in first or second place on the season podium in Speed and can clinch the season title by making it to the medal races at IFSC World Cup Xiamen. His compatriots Aleksandr Shikov – winner at Wujiang – and Stanislav Kokorin can stand alongside him at season’s end, as well as world record holder Reza Alipourshenazandifar of Iran and Italian athletes Ludovico Fossali and Leonardo Gontero.

Reigning Combined season champion Janja Garnbret of Slovenia defended this title in Wujiang, clinching the season title in the Combined. At just 18 years old, Garnbret has already recorded the most Combined points in a single season in the history of the IFSC, and there are still two Lead events remaining. She can defend her title as Lead season champion at the 7th Lead event of the season in Xiamen by placing 13th or better. Jain Kim, Anak Verhoeven, Jessica Pilz and Julia Chanourdie are competing for second place, and multiple athletes can place third.

Stefano Ghisolfi of Italy improved his positioning in the men’s Lead rankings by closing out the climbing in Wujiang with a thrilling top as Garnbret did. Still, Romain Desgranges of France can clinch the season title in Lead in Xiamen by finishing in second place, and he is already guaranteed a spot on the season podium. Multiple athletes are competing for second and third place, including reigning season champion Domen Skofic Slovenia. Jongwon Chon of Korea and Tomoa Narasaki of Japan improved their positioning in the Combined by finishing in 6th and 2nd place in Wujiang, respectively, and they are both on the start list for Xiamen.

Please click here for the complete season rankings. The competition schedule, starters, 2016 highlights, photos and more can be found on the Xiamen event page.

¹For season rankings, when more than six IFSC World Cup events are held in a discipline, an athlete’s lowest score in that discipline is dropped in the final calculation.