Slovenia Sweeps Golds in Moscow
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This past weekend was the second Bouldering World Cup in the 2019 series. 450 athletes filled the venue in Moscow, Russia, ready to test their skills on the world stage.
Two Americans, Kyra Condie and Natalia Grossman, were able to make it into the semifinal round, but not on to finals. The four semi-final boulders proved to be challenging—only seven total tops were seen in the round among five women. Despite this, Shauna Coxsey, from Great Britain, and Janja Garnbret, from Slovenia, were able to make two tops apiece, achieving them a first and second qualifying spot in the final round. Notably, Lucka Rakovec, from Slovenia, qualified for finals in the fifth position. Rakovec is 17 years old and this was just her second Bouldering World Cup.
Adam Ondra, from the Czech Republic, was the winner of the first 2019 World Cup in Meiringen, and proved it was no fluke in Moscow,qualifying for finals in first. Behind him was 15-year-old Rei Kawamata, from Japan. Like Rakovec, Moscow marked Kawamata’s second Bouldering World Cup. In addition to Garnbret and Rakovec, Slovenia had two more finalists, Anze Peharc and Jernej Kruder.
The finals round proved to be easier than semifinals. Garnbret flashed all four boulders, securing her the top spot on the podium for the second time in 2019. Coxsey and Fanny Gilbert both tied for second with four tops in six attempts, but Coxsey took second based on her semifinal rank.
Boulder number four was the ultimate decider for the men’s podium. Kruder was the only athlete, not only to top, but to flash the final boulder, earning him his sixth IFSC medal and Slovenia’s second gold for the competition. Ondra and Yoshiyuki Ogata, from Japan, placed second and third, respectively, after being the only athletes to top three problems.
The next Bouldering World Cup will take place in two weeks in Chongqing, China. The complete World Cup calendar can be found on the Events page.
Results
Men
- Jernej Kruder (SLO)
- Adam Ondra (CZE)
- Yoshiyuki Ogata (JPN)
- Anze Peharc (SLO)
- Rei Kawamata (JPN)
- Vadim Timonox (RUS)
Women
- Janja Garnbret (SLO)
- Shauna Coxsey (GBR)
- Fanny Gibert (FRA)
- Luck Rakovec (SLO)
- Jessica Pilz (AUT)
- Futaba Ito (JPN)
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