Within the evocative winter setting of Champagny-en-Vanoise, French Alps, a compelling third UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup of the season unfolded final weekend.
The gold medals went to 2 nationwide groups excelling this season: Mongolia and Switzerland. The previous dominated the pace competitors with Selenge Nyamdoo and Mandakhbayar Chuluunbaatar prevailing.
Within the lead self-discipline, Switzerland took the plaudits with Sina Goetz successful for the third World Cup in a row and Benjamin Bosshard sealing a primary ever UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup gold medal.
Away from the competitors partitions, it was a big weekend. With the French Alps internet hosting the 2030 Olympic Winter Video games, the occasion offered a chance to showcase mountain climbing’s potential as a future Olympics sport and in a future Olympic setting. Organizers Fédération française des golf equipment alpins et de montagne (FFCAM) made a big dedication to selling the game to a variety of visiting officers and dignitaries. Moreover a variety of initiatives had been carried out beneath the hashtag #IceClimbingFrenchAlps2030
Velocity: Workforce Mongolia excel
Mongolia and Iran have been the dominant forces within the pace competitors this season. In Friday night’s males’s competitors that proved the case once more. The highest 4 positions within the quickest time wins format had been held by these two nationwide groups. Chuluunbaatar’s (picture above) blistering sub 7-second ascent sealed gold with Mohsen Beheshti Rad (IRN) with a time of seven:04 taking silver and Kherlen Nyamdoo (MGL) incomes bronze in 7:15. Seven athletes climbed in beneath eight seconds, a formidable feat. Mohammdreza Safdarian (IRN) retains World Tour management however needed to accept fourth place after golds within the earlier two World Cups.
Total World Tour standings:
(1) M Safdarian (IRN), 255 factors; (2) M Chuluunbaatar (MGL), 217 pts; (3) M Beheshti Rad (IRN) 200 pts
Velocity Finals: Replay livestream
Within the ladies’s occasion, Selenge Nyamdoo’s fast sub 10-second ascent sealed gold. She now leads the World Tour rankings after her first place in Saas-Payment final weekend. The extremely constant Catalina Shirley (USA) with a time of 10:45, and the one different athlete to go beneath 11 seconds, earned silver with Poland’s Olga Kosek, 11:46, claiming bronze for her first medal of the World Cup season. It units up an fascinating battle for World Tour supremacy with Shirley having the possibility to shut the hole with the following World Cup held in her residence nation.
Total World Tour standings:
(1) S Nyamdoo (MGL), 280 factors; (2) C Shirley (USA), 231 pts; (3) A Louzecka (CZE) 175 pts
Lead: Three out of three for Sina Goetz
Sina Goetz (picture) is having fun with a dominance of the ladies’s lead competitors akin to Woonseon Shin’s supremacy final season. Three gold medals on three very completely different competitors constructions factors to an athlete on the high of her sport. On Champagny’s extremely technical route, modified this 12 months with a brand new high part, famend for its steep passages and overhangs and a backside half fully on pure ice, she was the one athlete to high. The ultimate eight athletes got here from seven completely different nations displaying the rising competitiveness throughout a variety of nationwide federations. Woonseon Shin, reigning world champion, took silver and Catalina Shirley added to her medal from the pace occasion to seal bronze. Shirley is now simply seven factors of a high three World Tour place.
Lead Finals: Replay livestream
Total World Tour standings:
(1) S Goetz (SUI), 300 factors; (2) W Shin (KOR), 192 pts; (3) M Van der Steen (NED) 182 pts
22-year outdated Swiss athlete Benjamin Bosshard has come near World Cup gold earlier than. He twice took bronze final season most notably on the World Championships in Edmonton. In Champagny, his high three performances within the {qualifications} and semi-finals boded nicely. He confronted an agonising wait after posting the perfect efficiency within the finals, having to witness two greats of the game – former world champions Heeyong Park and Louna Ladevant climb. Park would flip again the clock to take a formidable silver whereas Ladevant, gold medallist in Saas-Payment, appeared on track for a repeat efficiency earlier than slipping when negotiating a cussed quickdraw when in fifth place. Younggeon Lee (KOR) took bronze to retain World Tour management.
Total World Tour standings:
(1) Y Lee (KOR), 230 factors; (2) B Bosshard (SUI), 216 pts, (3) L Ladevant (FRA) 177 pts
The competitors additionally included the European Championships. The medals went to:
Males’s lead: 1. Benjamin Bosshard (SUI), 2. Jonathan Brown (SUI), 3. Louna Ladevant (FRA)
Ladies’s lead: 1. Sina Goetz (SUI), 2. Vivien Labarile (SUI), 3. Marianne van der Steen (NED)
Males’s pace: 1. Florian Ganter (LIE), 2. Jonathan Brown (SUI), 3. Andrea Gantner (LIE)
Ladies’s pace: 1. Olga Kosek (POL), 2. Aneta Louzecka (CZE), 3. Lea Beck (LIE)
The European Championships group rating will be discovered right here.
The UIAA thanks FFCAM and La Plagne resort for his or her glorious internet hosting of the occasion.
The senior athletes now put together for Spherical 4 of the World Cup season in Longmont, USA on 21-23 February. Nevertheless, high class motion continues subsequent weekend with the World Youth Championships going down exterior of Europe for the primary time. Ouray, Colorado would be the host venue. A full preview can be posted on Thursday 6 February.
Property for Media and Followers
Quick-form content material, highlights, podium posts and updates can be found on the UIAA social media channels, notably Fb and Instagram.
Occasion images can be found on the UIAA Flickr channel.
Stay outcomes are accessible from the UIAA Ice Climbing web site.
A choice of ‘better of’ images for media, ready for the 2024-2025 season, will be discovered right here.
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Please go to iceclimbing.sport for all occasion info, particulars on occasion programmes and timings, athlete registrations, reside outcomes and extra.
UIAA ICE CLIMBING WORLD TOUR PARTNER
All picture credit: UIAA/Julia Roger-Veyer
