Janja Garnbret & Sorato Anraku provisional first in Combined Boulder & Lead

The fight for Paris 2024 tickets is getting tense as the short-list continues to shorten at the IFSC Climbing World Championships in Bern, Switzerland. After yesterday's Combined event, both the men and women now have their final eight competitors who will fight for the three Olympic Games spots on offer to go along with a Boulder & lead world title. Some very big names are in, while some very big names such as Megos, are surprisingly out such as - to name just a few - Mejdi Schalck, Alexander Megos, Sean Bailey, Yannick Flohé, Mickael Mawem, Natalia Grossman, Chaehyun Seo, Molly Thompson-Smith, Mia Krampl and Laura Rogora

Unsurprisingly Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret made the cut, and even made it before setting foot onto the lead wall. A strong Boulder performance meant that she had secured a top eight position before her Lead climb, which she scored 76.1 points on for a 175-point total. Mori Ai of Japan was the only female climber to top the Lead route and with it secured herself second position and a finals spot with 136.9 points. France’s Oriane Bertone had two consistent rounds to progress in third with 133.5 ahead of another consistent performer in Brooke Raboutou of the USA who was fourth. Nonaka Miho of Japan and Jessica Pilz of Austria both reached the same Lead hold, however Nonaka was fifth to Pilz’s sixth due to a better Boulder result. Young Anastasia Sanders of the USA made the top eight despite a low scoring Lead climb whereas the vastly experience Kim Jain of South Korea crept in thanks to a high scoring Lead climb.

In the men's event, Japan’s Anraku Sorato top scored in both Boulder and Lead disciplines to take first place with a score of 184.9. Toby Roberts of Great Britain topped the Lead route, and even had time to get the crowd going twice near the top of the route and is second with 164.7 points. USA’s Colin Duffy was first out in both Boulder and Lead, and had two very solid rounds scoring 157 points for third spot. Anraku will have a teammate in the final as Narasaki Tomoa was fourth ahead of Austria’s Jakob Schubert who had to count on his Lead skills to make up for a below par Boulder display. Schubert topped the route to secure fifth. Adam Ondra of the Czech Republic will join his friend Schubert in the finals in sixth spot above South Korea’s Lee Dohyun in seventh and France’s Paul Jenft in eighth.

The women’s final is scheduled for 11 August at 19:00 (UTC+2:00).
The men’s final is scheduled for 12 August at 16:00 (UTC+2:00).