Rock Master Festival 2016: Adam Ondra and Katharina Saurwein win the KO Boulder Contest

It’s a sunny and classic Sunday at the Rock Master Festival. After yesterday’s Lead World Cup and Speed World Cup, today the name of the game is bouldering with the special KO Boulder Contest formula. As the name implies, who makes a mistake is out. It works like this: 4 competition problems, 7 male and female athletes, the worst two get knocked out on boulder #1, only the worst on boulder #2 and #3 get eliminated, meaning that there are three “survivors” who battle it out for overall victory. In short, if you lag behind, you’ve lost. Cruel? Yes, a bit… but also extremely spectacular and intense. And, to add some spice, those who “do battle” with true sportsmanship happen to be the strongest boulders in the world.

The comp begins with the men. The start if on the blue problem, i.e. the wall with the “classic overhanging corner”. First out is Germany’s Jan Hojer who easily stems his way up and tops out first go. Russian champion Rustam Gelmanov flails. As does Frenchman Jeremy Bonder who “toils” on the yellow volume and falls. It’s by no means easy… and another Russian star, Alexey Rubtsov, takes a tumble. Slovenia’s Jernej Kruder solves the riddle with a precise dyno and qualifies for the next round. Just like Italy’s Michael Piccolruaz, who sends the problem in a simple, perfect manner. Last out, Adam Ondra, falls. It’s time for the play-off between Gelmanov, Bonder, Rubtsov and Ondra. On their second attempt Bonder, Rubtsov and Ondra all top out. Gelmanov fails to make headway on his second and third attempt, and gets knocked-out. Bonder, Rubtsov and Ondra are all joint-equal are are saved.

The second problem, the orange face, offers a delicate balance act across a sort of huge cross that needs to be mantled before denoting to the top. Naturally it’s all overhanging. For Hojer it seems like a walk in the park but then, just when it gets really interesting, he dynoes, touches but fails to stick the top hold. Bonder, Rubtsov and Kruder tap in the dark. Unlike Piccolruaz who repeats the performance of the German, narrowly missing out the on the top hold while climbs to below the last hold, grits his teeth, but then falls. Second round: Hojer and Piccolruaz choose not to make any more attempts, knowing their result is a good one. Bonder narrowly misses the top. Rubtsov and Kruder fall low. Ondra climbs miraculously but fails to stick the last hold. The result: Kruder and Rubtsov are out.

Problem #3 is a regal slab. Balance and total body control are in order and, everyone knows, anything can happen. The problem starts across a “ledge”, traversing upwards from right to left. A knife-edge traverse. The first round isn’t positive for anyone, all athletes take a tumble. On his second attempt Hojer tiptoes like a ballet dancer, reaches the end of the traverse and then stretches up, ever upwards to the distant sidepull he manages to touch… but not stick. Bonder imitates him with a beautiful footwork, for a second it looks like he’ll succeed, but then he falls. Piccolruaz struggles and fails, while Ondra improves his previous best before giving way to gravity. Third and final attempt: Hojer seems to easily make his way across the traverse, but when he makes the long reach upwards he only manages to touch the sidepull. Same story for Bonder. For a second Ondra seems to stick the distant hold but then falls. Piccolruaz makes no headway and has to bid farewell.

Fourth and final problem: when the going gets tough, Mr Overhang makes his appearance. Three are in the running for victory: Jan Hojer, Jeremy Bonder and Adam Ondra. The first round reveals the difficulties. Huge compression moves, combined with an enormous pinch (like an overhanging pull-up board) leads to the final two round top holds. The battle begins immediately. On their second attempt they’d all already tried to stick the slopy top holds. On their third attempt Hojer and Bonder achieve more or less the same result as before. Then it’s time for Ondra who… climbs unleashed, finds the strength and power that he seemed to have lost. He clings on to the overhanging pinches, resists against the overhang and gravity, reaches the first sloper on the left and (who knows how) manages to stick it, then he reaches us and shares on the top hold. Done! The crowd erupts in cheers, Ondra thanks and exults like a gladiator. Yes, he’d done battle. So: victory goes to Ondra, ahead of Jan Hojer and Jeremy Bonder, joint second.

FEMALE
Women’s KO Boulder Contest, Katharina Saurwein gets the ball rolling on the yellow problem where strength and dynamic moves lea through the overhang. The problem is tough right from the start, and the Austrian remains distant from the leap towards to top. The same holds true for Julia Kruder, Franziska Steuer and Monika Retschy, but not for Giorgia Tesio who with disarming ease tops out and qualifies for the next round. Round two results in no changes, while on her third attempt Saurwein tops out, followed by Switzerland’s Andrea Kumin and Serbia’s Stasa Gejo. Result: the first to be knocked out is Austria’s Franziska Sterrer.

Saurwein continues her run by climbing high on problem #2. But the top of the red slab remains elusive. The problems looks tough, in particular the mantle move after the starting corner. So tough that Kruder and Retschy fall there. As does Giorgia Tesio. Andrea Kumin tries a new sequence and fares a little better, just before Stasa Gejo falls low down. Saurwein’s second attempt is good but she then fails close to the top. No other climber reaches this highpoint. Saurwein leads the field and on her third attempt she almost touches the top with her nose, but not with her hands. A miracle is needed but this never comes: no one climbs above the corner and more or less they all fall off the same holds. Which means that Kruder and Retschy bid farewell.

Problem #3 is festooned with a series of grey volumes that lead via a traverse rightwards, to then break back left to the top. Saurwein seems to start perfectly but then falls off the penultimate volume, just below the top. Giorgia Tesio does better than the Austrian, but then falls, just like Andrea Kumin who reaches the same hold as the Italian. Plenty of strength is needed here and the question is, who has the power? Stasa Gejo provides the answer; after a fearsome shoulder push she drives to the top. The Serb is in the Final!. The standings remain unchanged after everyone’s second attempt. Saurwein sets off on her third attempt, knowing full-well that she’s the one who risks elimination. She needs to climb as high as possible, asks for the crowd’s support, gets it and sends the problem. Superb! It’s then Tesio’s go and she misses the top by a hair’s breadth. Now it’s Andrea Kumin who risks most, only the top can save her but… this never materializes. For the Swisswoman it’s time to say goodbye. Her’s was a great competition, nevertheless.

The final takes place on the green problem. Saurwein’s start gets the spectators on their feet: she breezes through the roof (upside down) and with a perfect and elegant twist turns herself upright to, almost effortlessly, reach the Top. Tesio tries to emulate her but is unlucky and falls almost immediately. Unlike Gejo who, after having climbed through the roof, seems easily on her way to the Top, but all of a sudden falls. Saurwein had made the miracle come true: she’s the winner. Tesio and Gejo have two remain gin attempts to settle 2nd and 3rd place. Nothing happens on attempt #1. And then, when everyone believes that everything is already said and done, Giorgia Tesio digs in deep, produces an amazing performance and just misses out on the top. Stasa Geo’s third and final attempt bears no fruits. Which means the Austrian Katharina Saurwein takes a deserved win of the KO Boulder System. Giorgia Tesio takes a memorable second place. Stasa Gejo is third. A great competition, fought out and unpredictable, just as bouldering should be.

RESULTS
Male: 1. Adam Ondra (CZE) 2. Jan Hojer (GER) 3. Jeremy Bonder (FRA) 4. Michael Piccolruaz (ITA) 5. Jernej Kruder (SLO) 6. Alexey Rubtsov (RUS) 7. Rustam Gelmanov (RUS)
Route setter: Jacky Godoffe, Alberto Gnerro
Female: 1. Katharina Saurwein (AUT) 2. Giorgia Tesio (ITA) 3. Stasa Gejo (SRB) 4. Andrea Kumin (SUI) 5. Julia Kruder (SLO) 5. Monika Retschy (GER) 7. Franziska Sterrer (AUT)
Route setters: Jacky Godoffe, Alberto Gnerro