Adidas Rockstars Ends With A Bang In Germany
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If you thought competition season was over, think again. In the wake of the World Championships in Innsbruck, Austrai, top boulderers flocked to Stuttgart, Germany to compete in the Adidas Rockstars competition.
The event is an invite only competition, making the competitors the “rock stars” of the climbing world. A live band motivates both the athletes and the crowd, creating a fun, engaging and highly energetic atmosphere for all involved.
The competition follows a traditional format leading up to a finals where six athletes compete on four different boulders. However, as the athletes move through the boulders, the lowest scoring athletes are eliminated. By boulder four, only the top two men and top two women are left to compete in a head-to-head battle on identical boulders. The first climber to top the boulder wins it all.
On the women’s side, Ekaterina Kipriianova of Russia took home the bronze medal after a top of boulder 2, but was eliminated after boulder three. American favorite Alex Puccio managed to secure silver by topping boulders one, two and three, but lost in the superfinal to the Japanese climber Miho Nonaka. Nonaka, who finished fifth in the Bouldering World Championships last week, took gold as she flashed superfinal problem.
On the men’s side, Tomoaki Takata of Japan won bronze, making it to boulder three with a top of boulder one. Takata was eliminated in round three. Jongwon Chon of Korea took home silver with a top of boulders one, two, and three, eventually losing out to Jernej Kruder of Austria in the superfinal.
For more information on the Adidas Rockstars, please click here.