MEN’S BOULDER QUALIFICATION GETS BERN 2023 ACTION UNDERWAY
Climbing at the IFSC Climbing and Paraclimbing World Championships 2023 got underway with 130 men getting into Boulder qualification action to settle the top 20 spots and a place in the semi-finals.
With the climbers split into two groups, it was Japan who led the way in both as 2023 Boulder World Cup series winner Anraku Sorato and teammate Ogata Yoshiyuki topped all five problems to progress in joint first position.
The only other climber to top all five was Germany’s Yannick Flohé, who said: “It was pretty good. I did all five boulders. I did the two slabs, and this year I haven’t done any slabs in the World Cups so I’m happy.
“I tried to have a little break after the last World Cups and have a good training block to refocus, I think that helps a lot, because there was a lot of competitions and after Villars I was pretty ‘comp burned out’ so some structured training helped me to get back to feeling good, and I am feeling good right now.”
Sitting in third position with Flohé is another Japanese climber, Fujji Kokoro, and France’s Sam Avezou.
Avezou said: “Qualification was pretty good for me. The boulders were good for my style, really technical and I enjoyed them. I feel confident for this event. Usually I don’t have great results but this year I’ve had some good ones. I’ve got two medals from this year, I feel confident, and I feel that confidence is really helping me to perform.”
With three tops, Great Britain’s Jack MacDougall progressed into the semi-finals finishing in ninth overall.
MacDougall said: “My qualis went great. I had a really good time and I felt great on the wall. It was really fun. I have been training pretty normally, nothing really different. I had a bit of time between now and my last competition so a bit of downtime and recovery. I’ve been trying to focus and make everything sharp and I felt like it has been moving well and that I climbed well today.”
Home favourite Julien Clémence pleased the crowd going through in 15th position, and said: “Qualification was amazing, the crowd was just going wild. All my friends and family came here to watch all the Swiss team perform at the biggest event of the year and I’m just so happy, I have goosebumps everywhere.”
The Czech Republic’s Adam Ondra and Germany’s Max Kleesattel were the two climbers in joint 19thposition to secure the final spots in the semis on the 4 August.
Full men's Boulder results can be found here
Julien Clémence (SUI) in men's Boulder qualification action
Photo: Lena Drapella/IFSC
