The penultimate round of the women’s Boulder event at the IFSC Climbing World Cup Bern 2025 delivered a tense semi-final, where just one climber topped more than one boulder, and a handful of decimals decided who placed where in the top-eight.

NONAKA TAKES CONTROL

Low scores and tension defined the round, with Nonaka Miho of Japan emerging as the only climber to top more than one boulder. Her total of 59.5 points included two tops and all but one zone, highlighted by her being the only athlete to solve problem W2.

DECIMAL DRAMA DEFINES FINALISTS

Erin McNeice of Great Britain secured second place with 54.8 points, making her third World Cup final appearance in 2025. In a round where placements were often separated by less than one point, her flash on W3 proved decisive.

McNeice said: “The semi-final was quite a lot of fun, the blocks were a lot harder than yesterday, which is very enjoyable. I think it's very hard to get the setting right, but I would much prefer it to be a lot harder than the for it to be much easier. I definitely enjoyed this round much more than yesterday’s.

“I feel like I'm planning quite well. I'm sort of in the second stint of my season, so I have had a bit of time to train, so I'm not feeling too fatigued yet.”

The margins grew even tighter from there, with a three-way tie for sixth place at 54.3 points between Matsufuji Anon of Japan, Oceania Mackenzie of Australia, and Annie Sanders of the USA.

Sanders clinched her spot with the very last climb of the round — a dramatic, buzzer-beating top on W4 that made her the only climber to complete the problem, also pushing her teammate Kyra Condie out of the final by just 0.2 points.

For the women’s Boulder semi-final complete results click here.

NEXT UP

The women’s Boulder final will take place later today in Bern, with start time set at 17:00 (UTC+2:00). Men’s semi-final and final are scheduled to close Bern 2025 tomorrow, 15 June.

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.