Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret yet again showed her Climbing class by taking her second IFSC World Cup gold in the space of a week.
With a Boulder gold in the bag from Keqiao, Garnbret added a Lead gold to her luggage heading back home from her exploits in China by topping the final route in front of a capacity crowd at the Fenhu Cultural and Sports Center.
Garnbret was the only climber to top the route, and exerted her dominance on the competition by topping every route she attempted in Wujiang.
Garnbret said: “I was just having a lot of fun and just excited to be back competing. I had a good start back with Boulder and I hoped I would have the same with Lead, and I guess my Lead shape is as good as Boulder.
“I’m excited now to go back home and get some more training in before I return to do the World Cup in Innsbruck where I will do Boulder and Lead, and then it’s Paris.”
There was something to cheer for the home crowd as Luo Zhilu took a silver medal making hold 44+, one more than South Korea’s Seo Chaehyun who took the bronze medal with hold 43+.
Japan’s Tanii Natsuki was just off the podium in fourth reaching hold 40 and was just ahead of Great Britain’s Erin McNeice in fifth, her personal best finish as it was her first time making a Lead final. McNeice reached hold 39.
The three remaining climbers all reached hold 34+ with Italy’s Laura Rogora in sixth, Japan’s Oda Natsumi in seventh and Slovenia’s Mia Krampl in eighth.
The seventh place for Oda was an impressive showing considering the young climber is just 16-years-old and was making her debut at the IFSC World Cup.
Great Britain’s Toby Roberts won the second Lead World Cup of his career, and with it becomes only the second British male to do so after Simon Nadin in 1989-90.
Hold 36+ was enough to secure the gold, but it was a tight call for two reasons. Roberts got himself a little jammed up on the wall, and it was the same score as Japan’s Homma Taisei.
Point one: “I slightly misread the beta, but I managed to stay there and compose myself and find the right way luckily.”
Point two: His better result from the semi-final and therefore seeding in the final meant he got the top step of the podium and Homma had to settle for silver.
Looking ahead, Roberts said: “Preparation for Paris is going well and I’m using this competition to see how I am doing after a hard winters training and I just enjoying competing on the comp circuit. So things are going well.”
Joining teammate Homma was Anraku Sorato. Maybe falling below the very high bar the fans have set for him given the start to his senior career, Anraku still leaves China with a Lead bronze to add to his collection.
Murashita Zento of Japan was fifth on hold 24+ and Sascha Lehmann of Switzerland was sixth on hold 24, the same hold but a place ahead of Belgium’s Hannes Van Duysen who secured a personal best finish of sixth in a Lead World Cup.
Another Japanese climber in Tanaka Shuta was seveneth on hold 23+ above another climber with a personal best finish, Great Britain’s Max Milne. It was both Milne and Van Duysen’s first appearance in a Lead final.
With nine climbers making it through the semi-final because of equal records, it was Omata Shion of Japan who reached 21+ and to round out the final positions.
To hear more from the climbers in Wujiang click here
For full results click here