The penultimate North American Cup Collection (NACS) occasion of 2024 was held this weekend at GOAT Climbing Gymnasium in Hackensack, New Jersey. The Lead qualification spherical occurred on Friday, the Lead semi-finals and finals have been held on Saturday, and the Pace comp is being held on Sunday. Chris Sharma shocked many along with his participation within the Lead climbing comp. The 43-year-old made it by way of the semi-finals in second place, incomes his probability to compete within the finals. No Canadians made it by way of to the finals in both the lads’s or ladies’s competitors.
Within the males’s closing, Patrick Daly and Jayden Perez put up stable performances, every falling after reaching maintain 42. Sharma got here out second-last, besting each Daly and Perez with a rating of 45+. Sergey Lakhno was the ultimate climber of the night. He fought previous Sharma’s highpoint and topped the route. With the end, Lakno took gold, Sharma silver, and Perez bronze. Curiously, the lads’s semi-finals and finals had the very same rankings from first to fifth.
The ladies’s closing had a more in-depth end than the lads’s. Lauren Bair established a highpoint of 36 early within the night. Jojo Chi then bested her rating, falling taking pictures for maintain 38. Melina Costanza got here out final and was climbing nicely however ended up falling at maintain 36, identical to Bair. These finishes resulted in Chi incomes gold, Costanza Silva, and Bair bronze.
Sharma had success as a comp climber early in his profession, taking part in each US nationwide and worldwide competitions. In 1997, he gained gold on the Lead World Cup in Kranj and silver on the Lead World Championships in Paris and Imst Lead World Cup in Imst. In 2001, he gained gold once more on the Boulder World Cup in Munich in 2001, however was later disqualified after testing constructive for marijuana. He later gained two silver medals in Boulder World Cup competitors – in Rovereto in 2002 and Lecco in 2003.
What Is the NACS?
The NACS was first launched by Climbing Escalade Canada (CEC) and USA Climbing in 2021.The mission of the collection is to “present a high-level competitors collection for superior and elite athletes from the America’s to proceed their improvement exterior of World Cup competitors.” CEC and USA Climbing are the nationwide governing our bodies for comp climbing in Canada and the US respectively, as acknowledged by the Worldwide Olympic Committee and the IFSC.
The 2021 collection had 5 occasions. In 2022, 4 occasions have been held. The 2023 season was the largest ever, with seven occasions – two in Canada, one in Costa Rica, and 4 within the US. This yr’s collection will see 5 occasions – three within the US and two in Canada.
“The NACS is a superb alternative for athletes to achieve valued expertise at an elite degree,” mentioned the Govt Director of CEC, Christiane Marceau earlier than the beginning of the 2023 collection. “It reduces the hole between nationwide occasions and IFSC World Cups, including a much-needed improvement step. For Canadian athletes, the NACS stops are additionally a good way to gather [Continuous National Ranking] factors for Crew Canada Choice!”
Males’s Outcomes
- Sergey Lakhno (TOP)
- Chris Sharma (45+)
- Jayden Perez (42)
Girls’s Outcomes
- Jojo Chi (37+)
- Melina Costanza (36)
- Lauren Bair (36)
2024 NACS Hacksensack Lead Finals
You possibly can watch a livestream replay of the Lead finals under. Sharma’s climb begins on the 1:30:15 timestamp.