Mina Markovic and Gautier Supper climb to victory in Norway

Last weekend Norway hosted, for the first time ever a stage, of the Lead World Cup. Expectations were understandably high for the competition in Stavanger, considered an important mid-season turning point. Italians Stefano Ghisolfi and Francesco Vettorata qualified for the finals having fallen off the same hold as Jakob Schubert and Adam Ondra, and they were joined in the last round by the two Frenchmen Romain Desgranges and Gautier Supper, Slovenia's Domen Škofic and Germany’s Sebastian Halenke. In the finals it was Supper who climbed higher than the rest, beating Ondra by three holds and Desgranges by four to strengthen his lead in the provisional standings.

Schubert finished fourth, while Ghisolfi finished fifth, his best result this season. Vettorata fell one hold below his teammate to celebrate his best result ever in the Lead World Cup and in doing so he confirmed his sensational second place in last year’s Rock Master. Skofic finished 7th, while and Halenke completed the final ranking in 8th place.

In the women’s competition it was Mina Markovic once again who stole the show, but only just: the Slovenian fell off the same hold as Jessica Pilz, two holds short of the top, but won the event thanks to countback to the Semifinals. Belgium’s Anak Verhoeven finished third and the gap between her and the rest of the field was enormous: 4th placed Jain Kim fell 16 holds lower, while Hélène Janicot, Tjasa Kalan, Risa Ota and Yuka Kobayashi fell even lower still.

The next Lead World Cup will be held on on 26 and 27 September in Puurs (Belgium), but for many of these athletes the next appointment is at the Arco Rock Master on Saturday, September 5. This will take place during the IFSC World Youth Climbing Championship from 28 August to 6 September at Arco - Garda Trentino.

STAVANGER
MEN
1 Gautier Supper FRA 43+
2 Adam Ondra CZE 40+
3 Romain Desgranges FRA 39+
4 Jakob Schubert AUT 36+
5 Stefano Ghisolfi ITA 35+
6 Francesco Vettorata ITA 34+
7 Domen Škofic SLO 29+
8 Sebastian Halenke GER 23
9 Magnus Midtboe NOR
10 Ramón Julian Puigblanque ESP
11 Urban Primozic SLO
12 Loïc Timmermans BEL
13 Sean Mccoll CAN
14 Thomas Joannes FRA
15 Max Rudigier AUT
16 Christoph Hanke GER
17 Thomas Ballet FRA
18 Mikhail Chernikov RUS
19 Marcello Bombardi ITA
20 Mario Lechner AUT
21 Martin Mobråten NOR
22 Stephane Hanssens BEL
23 Bernhard Röck AUT
24 Lukas Köb AUT
25 Hannes Puman SWE
26 Tomoaki Takata JPN
27 Naoto Hakamada JPN
28 Or Wechsler ISR
29 Elan Jonasmcrae CAN
30 Magnus Högström SWE
31 Tomas Binter CZE
31 Stian Christophers. NOR
31 Yiftach Kushnir ISR
34 Martin Jech CZE
35 Jakob Heber Norum NOR
35 Rolf Fredrik Serlachius SWE
37 Jon Pål Hamre NOR
38 Javier Cano Blazquez ESP
38 Kevin Huser SUI
40 Jan Eivind Danielsen NOR
41 Kenneth Elvegård NOR
42 Remo Lehmann SUI
43 Christer Raugland NOR
44 Nathan Smith CAN
45 Tarjei Hamre NOR
46 Martinius Hals Skar NOR
47 Rolf -Martin Bjørngaard NOR
48 Jarle Kalland NOR
49 Endre Sandø Evensen NOR
49 Einar Sulheim NOR
51 Henning Wang NOR
52 Brage Birkelund Olsen NOR
53 Magnus Krane Ovesen NOR
54 Erlend Nundal NOR
55 Jarred Jordan AUS
56 Bror Morten Ranum NOR

WOMEN
1 Mina Markovic SLO 57+
2 Jessica Pilz AUT 57+
3 Anak Verhoeven BEL 55+
4 Jain Kim KOR 39
5 Hélène Janicot FRA 37+
6 Tjasa Kalan SLO 37+
7 Risa Ota JPN 37+
8 Yuka Kobayashi JPN 36+
9 Mathilde Becerra FRA
10 Ottilia Kajsa Rosen SWE
11 Evgeniya Malamid RUS
12 Katharina Posch AUT
13 Rebekka Stotz SUI
14 Julia Chanourdie FRA
15 Katherine Choong SUI
16 Aya Onoe JPN
17 Alizée Dufraisse FRA
18 Christine Schranz AUT
19 Magdalena Röck AUT
20 Jenny Lavarda ITA
21 Netta Fredman ISR
22 Tina Johnsen Hafsaas NOR
23 Alina Ring SUI
24 Delaney Miller USA
25 Barbara Bacher AUT
26 Iva Vejmolova CZE
27 Dinara Fakhritdinova RUS
28 Maria Davies Sandbu NOR
29 Heloïse Doumont BEL
30 Michelle Kim Theisen DEN
31 Stella Plantin SWE
32 Katrin Amann SWE
33 Lisa-Marie Kvandahl NOR
33 Julia Massullo CAN
35 Eline Næsheim NOR
36 Roxy Perry AUS
37 Ragnhild Eriksrud NOR
38 Jorun Rennan NOR
39 Ida Marie Høiaas NOR
40 Bibiana Dahle Ness NOR
41 Løvmo Mia Kvåle NOR