Boulder World Cup 2024 gets underway in China tomorrow

The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2024 are kicking off in Keqiao, China, with the first Boulder World Cup competition on Chinese territory since Wujiang 2019.
 
Scheduled over three days – from 8 to 10 April – Keqiao 2024 is meant to be the first half of a double-header that will also include the World Cup Wujiang 2024, featuring Lead and Speed competitions and scheduled from 12 to 14 April.
 
Of the 16 climbers that have already qualified for Paris 2024 in the two Boulder & Lead event, 10 are registered to compete in Keqiao, including Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Janja Garnbret and bronze medallist Jakob Schubert of Austria.
 
Home favourite Zhang Yuetong, who secured her ticket to France at last year’s IFSC Asian Qualifer in Jakarta, Indonesia, will headline a big contingent of 14 Chinese athletes, including Olympian Pan Yufei, World Cup medallist Luo Zhilu, and a group of young first-time participants.
 
Along with the support of the home crowd, Zhang and Pan will also have the advantage of having known the walls and its profiles at the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, which hosted Sport Climbing competitions in the very same venue: the Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan Climbing Center.
 
Held in October 2023, the multi-sport event saw Zhang and Pan claim bronze in the women’s and men’s Boulder & Lead events, respectively.
 
Picking up from a dominant campaign in 2023, when he became the first climber in history to claim both the Boulder and Lead World Cup trophies in the same season, Anraku Sorato of Japan is going to be the clear favourite in the men’s field.
 
Tokyo 2020 champion Alberto Ginés López of Spain, future Olympian Toby Roberts of Great Britain, and World Cup gold medallist Mejdi Schalck of France will also be in the mix for the first podium of the season.
 
The group of Tokyo 2020 Olympian will also include silver medallist Nonaka Miho of Japan, Petra Klingler of Switzerland, and Kyra Condie of the USA.
 
The schedule of the event is as follows:
 
Monday, 8 April:
9:00 – Women’s Boulder qualification
16:00 – Men’s Boulder qualification
 
Tuesday, 9 April:
12:00 – Women’s Boulder semi-final
19:00 – Women’s Boulder final
 
Wednesday, 10 April:
12:00 – Men’s Boulder semi-final
19:00 – Men’s Boulder final

DEBUTANTS
Making their first appearance at an IFSC World Cup event in women’s Boulder are:
Yali WEI (CHN)
Xuanzhen CHEN (CHN)
Yawen MI (CHN)
Jingyu LI (CHN)
Chunhua WU (CHN)
Ziqi Elly GAO (HKG)
Si Wan LEI (MAC)
Sui Lin Renee TAN (MAS)
Eilin TAN (SGP)
Ting-chen YAO (TPE)
Yun-shan HSIEH (TPE)
Nekaia SANDERS (USA)
Helen GILLETT (USA)

Making their first appearance at an IFSC World Cup event in men’s Boulder are:
Ziqi XU (CHN)
Jiahao HU
Bingtang WANG
Jinwei YAO
Ravianto RAMADHAN (INA)
Raviandi RAMADHAN (INA)
Ali SALIMIAN (IRI)
Kodai YAMADA (JPN)
Nasser ABY ERGEEB (KUW)
Wan Tong LOK (MAC)
Muhammad Ayman FIRAS (MAS)
Qun Tao KE (MAS)
Yago GANCEDO (MEX)
Ming Shu GAN (TPE)
Auswin AUEAREECHIT (THA)
Chih-en FAN (TPE)