Yesterday’s ladies’s Boulder World Cup led to a predictable trend – Janja Garnbret dominated the rounds, incomes yet one more gold medal. Immediately’s males’s Boulder World Cup was just a little extra thrilling. The primary shock of the comp was Jakob Schubert lacking the semi-finals after which Tomoa Naraksaki and Colin Duffy not making it by way of to the finals. Heading into the finals, a seemingly secure guess for gold would have been the younger phenom from Japan Soratu Anraku or Nice Britain’s Toby Roberts, arguably essentially the most thrilling climber on the comp scene.
The primary downside of males’s Boulder last was difficult, however 5 of the six finalists managed to prime it. Anraku impressively pulled off a flash. His teammates Sohta Amagasa and Meich Narasaki – Tomoa’s little brother – topped the issue in two and three makes an attempt respectively. Roberts additionally topped in three makes an attempt.
The second downside of the evening was the precise reverse. Wickedly crimpy and highly effective, most climbers couldn’t get previous the primary few strikes. Anraku and Roberts had good success, however each had been unable to safe zone. The issue was an entire shut-out for all climbers, that means the competitors can be selected simply three issues.
Drawback #3 was the slab. Anraku and Roberts flashed it. Amagasa topped on his second try, Narasaki on his third. Transferring into the fourth spherical, Anraku, Roberts, Amagasa, and Narasaki had been tied in tops. The ultimate downside was going to determine podium placements.
Amagasa, having the efficiency of his profession, ended up topping the wildly dynamic and enjoyable downside #4. Narasaki pulled off a prime as nicely. This left Amagasa in first and Narasaki in second, every with three tops. Roberts may safe that first place spot if he may prime in a couple of go’s. He was unable to stay the massive coordination dyno in the beginning of the issue although, not even reaching zone.
Anraku got here out final and it’s seemingly that the majority viewers thought the comp was his. He simply made it by way of the beginning dyno, however surprisingly, he was unable to execute the shouldery mantle to the highest. He tried time and again, experimenting with totally different betas, however nothing caught. He ended the spherical with a zone for downside #4.
With the end result, 24-year-old Amagasa had received the 2024 Innsbruck Boulder World Cup. The victory was his first-ever World Cup gold and his first time on a World Cup podium. His earlier greatest end result was a fourth place end on the Boulder World Cup in Salt Lake Metropolis in Could this yr.
“I can’t imagine it, it looks like a dream!” stated Amagasa after his win. “My efficiency immediately was excellent, nearly excellent. Now I’ll skip Lead and give attention to the occasion in Prague. Arigato!”
Narasaki earned silver, tying Amagasa in tops however with extra makes an attempt. He additionally received silver on the Salt Lake Metropolis Boulder World Cup final month. It was his fourth time incomes a silver medal in World Cup competitors. Anraku, with two tops and one zone, earned bronze. The occasion marks the third time in historical past that there was a Crew Japan sweep of the lads’s Boulder podium.
Not like Amagasa and Narasaki, Anraku will probably be competing within the Paris Olympics. This yr is his second season on the World Cup circuit. It’s arduous to recollect a rookie season as unimaginable because the one he had in 2023. He made the finals at each Lead World Cup occasion, incomes sixth in Villars, fourth in Innsbruck, bronze in Chamonix, and gold in Briançon, Koper, and Wujiang. He additionally received silver on the Lead World Championships. Within the Boulder World Cup, he received silver in Salt Lake Metropolis and gold in Innsbruck. All of this success resulted in him being general champion for each Boulder and Lead. He ended 2023 by successful a Paris Olympic ticket on the Asian Qualifier in Jakarta.
Anraku’s 2023 success is continuous into 2024. He’s now had three stable performances within the first 4 World Cups of the yr. He received silver on the Boulder World Cup in Keqiao, bronze on the Lead World Cup in Wujiang, gold on the Boulder World Cup in Salt Lake Metropolis, and now bronze at this Boulder World Cup in Innsbruck. His skill to carry out nicely in each Boulder and Lead undoubtably makes him one of many favourites to win the Olympics this summer time.
There have been many Paris Olympian upsets within the males’s Boulder World Cup in Innsbruck. Austria’s Jakob Schubert and Australia’s Campbell Harrison didn’t make it previous the qualification spherical, putting twenty first and forty seventh respectively. Within the semi-finals, Tomoa Narasaki of Japan positioned eighth and Crew USA member Colin Duffy positioned 14th, each lacking out on their probability to compete within the finals. In immediately’s finals, a Paris Olympians Anraku positioned third, and Roberts positioned fourth, leaving gold and silver for non-Olympians.
With the ladies’s and males’s Boulder World Cups wrapped up in Innsbruck, the occasion now strikes onto the Lead comp. The men and women’s Lead semi-finals will probably be held tomorrow, Saturday June 29. The Lead finals will then happen the next day on Sunday. See beneath for the complete schedule.
Last Outcomes
- Sohta Amagasa [JPN] (3T3z 8 7)
- Meichi Narasaki [JPN] (3T3z 11 7)
- Sorato Anraku [JPN] (2T3z 2 3)
- Toby Roberts [GBR] (2T2z 4 4)
- Elias Arriagada Krüger [GER] (1T3z 8 11)
- Ritsu Kayotani [JPN] (0T3z 0 24)
Males’s Boulder Last at Innsbruck World Cup
Innsbruck World Cup Livestream Schedule
Girls and Males’s Lead semi-finals – Saturday June 29 – 1:40pm ET (10:40am PT)
Girls and Males’s Lead finals – Sunday June 30 – 1:40pm ET (10:40am PT)
