The ultimate ladies’s Boulder World Cup of the 2024 season was held right this moment in Seoul, South Korea. Staff USA took its second ladies’s Boulder World Cup gold medal in a row, however this time it wasn’t favorite Natalia Grossman standing atop the rostrum. As a substitute it was 17-year-old Annie Sanders who earned gold after a formidable efficiency of three tops and 4 zones. It was her first-ever World Cup gold medal.
The night didn’t begin notably properly for Sanders. On downside #1, she took 4 makes an attempt to prime. Most of her rivals took solely one in all two makes an attempt to finish the issue, placing her almost in final place. Whereas most athletes used a dynamic sequence to maneuver via the crux, Sanders made use of her static abilities and executed a gnarly iron cross to make it via the powerful part.
Sanders was additionally one in all two climbers to not prime downside #2. Once more sticking to her static model, she was unable to make it via the coordination sequence guarding the highest maintain. Heading into downside #3, Sanders was in second to final place. She wanted to select it up on the ultimate two issues of the evening for an opportunity at a medal.
And decide it up she did! Sanders completely styled downside #3, the slab. She despatched the bloc on simply her second try. Most different climbers didn’t end it together with prime rivals Natalia Grossman, Erin McNeice, and Miho Nonaka.
Sanders secured the gold medal on the ultimate downside of the evening. Utilizing a mixture of each dynamic energy and static energy, she flashed the ultimate bloc, making the highest look comparatively straightforward. No different competitor made it previous the zone maintain. This left Sanders with three tops and 4 zones, with seven makes an attempt for her tops. This rating put her simply forward of Staff France’s Zélia Avezou who additionally earned three tops and 4 zones, however with 9 makes an attempt to prime. Erin McNeice took bronze with two tops and 4 zones.
“I’m positively nonetheless in shock proper now,” stated Sanders after her her win. “I wasn’t anticipating this. After the second boulder, I nearly type of gave up hope as lots of people have been topping that one, so I used to be simply making an attempt to have enjoyable for the remainder of the spherical, and it paid off.”
Sanders made her World Cup circuit debut within the 2023 season, making finals at each the Salt Lake Metropolis and Seoul Boulder World Cups. Previous to Seoul within the 2024 World Cup season, she earned bronzes on the Boulder World Cup in Innsbruck and Lead World Cup in Koper.
Closing Outcomes
- Annie Sanders (USA) 3T4z 7 13
- Zélia Avezou (FRA) 3T4z 9 7
- Erin McNeice (GBR) 2T4z 4 5
- Natalia Grossman (USA) 2T4z 5 5
- Miho Nonaka (JPN) 2T4z 9 8
- Agathe Calliet (FRA) 0T3z 0 10
2024 Seoul Boulder World Cup Finals
