Romain Desgranges and Anak Verhoeven win the IFSC Climbing World Cup Lead at Arco

As in the best of traditions, the Climbing Stadium fills to the brim for the Lead event and, as usual, it’s a show within the show. Hopes are high, almost palpable. The women kick off this last round on the righthand wall, with its (ever) fearsome waved roof. Jain Kim from Korea is the first out, having qualified last in the Semis. Like a true champion she seems transformed, but once again the overhanging wave is relentless: Kim fails to find her way through this maze. Nevertheless she climbs high. So high in fact that, in order to beat her, her rivals will need to reach the final slab, the one that leads to the very top.

France’s Mathilde Becerra starts her journey by comfortably climbing through the lower section. But when she gets to the first overhang she fails to find the right sequence, unravels and falls. Far below the South Korean’s highpoint. The route doesn’t appear to be straightforward, on the contrary. What’s needed is supreme technique and intuition to get through that first filter. Proof comes from Japan’s Yuka Kobayashi who then falls 4 holds lower than Becerra. And so, at almost the half-way stage, Kim is comfortably in the lead, having gained two places. Three actually, seeing that all of a sudden France’s Julia Chanourdie falls even lower, circa 10 holds below the Japanese.

It’s time for the last 4 finalists. Next out is the leader of the Lead World Cup, 17-year-old Slovenian Janja Garnbret, the athlete who so far has won three out of four World Cup stages. It’s clear that she wants to win. But tonight isn’t going to be her night and that filter “punishes” everyone except for Kim, the only athlete to have got past it. Even Garnbret falls in that zone with a tiny advantage (one move more) over Becerra. The Slovenian slips into provisional second, unhappily obviously as Kim had climbed way, way higher.

In the meantime her teammate Mina Markovic enters the area. The three-times winner of the Lead World Cup was awarded the La Sportiva Competition Award here in Arco last night. But she too struggles through those heinous moves, a sort of unreachable Mariana Trench, and falls two holds from Becerra. Incredibile. So now Kim has secured at least bronze. Yes, as it transpires, the Korean had climbed superbly. Especially since Switzerland’s Anne-Sophie Koller then falls immediately below Markovic’s highpoint.

Now it’s all in the powerful hands of Belgium’s Anak Verhoeven, the only athlete to have topped out in the Semifinal earlier today. She’s on absolute top form and immediately proves her worth on that malefic filter that doesn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. She sends it in style, dropping her knees twice. Done like that, the series of moves seems almost easy. Yes, today the Belgian is inspired. It’s the competition of her life and she interprets it superbly. In the blink of an eye she deals with the overhanging wave, then beautifully exits the crux (where Kim had fallen), reaching the difficult sequence that leads to the top. She tries, resists… thinks, and then finds the right sequence and almost succeeds in dynoing to the top. What a beauty. And what a climb, much to the joy of the entire Climbing Stadium!

So 20-year-old Anak Verhoeven Belgium wins, this is her first senior World Cup victory. South Korea’s Jain Kim places second, Janja Garnbret from Slovenia places third and they are followed by Mathilde Becerra (Fra), Mina Markovic (Slo), Anne-Sophie Koller (Sui), Yuka Kobayashi (Jpn) and Julia Chanourdie (Fra).

There’s almost no time to think as the Men’s Final has already begun. The first who inaugurate the long route through the yellow arete on the left is Germany’s Sebastian Halenke who climbs to about mid-height before falling. It seems as if what’s needed here is endurance but also the right rhythm and determination. The moves don’t allow the slightest hesitation… Proof comes from Adam Ondra who climbs like a lightening bolt. The Czech champion is so quick and determined that he climbs five holds higher than Halenke. But then all of a sudden he seems to run out of steam and falls. Yes, the route takes no prisoners.

Further confirmation comes from Francesco Vettorata who in today’s Semifinal had produced a masterful performance. The Italian climbs with true grit, but then makes a mistake: he messes up a foothold, manages to catch himself but… this route is killer, he falls two holds below the German and seven below Ondra. Next out is Dmitrii Fakiryanov, the athlete who marks the halfway point. The Russian is a born fighter, climbs quickly upwards with great determination. Reaches the Ondra zone, grits his teeth and continues upwards, pushed onwards by the spectators. His is a true battle that enables him to climb 5 holds past the highpoint but then, three holds from the top, he falls. What a superb comp!

When Jakob Schubert enters the arena many believe it’s the perfect route for the Austrian climbing machine. He, being a great athlete and competitor, gives it his very best and with his hallmark power climbs high, past Ondra. And on towards Fakiryanov. He reaches this point and… falls, two holds higher than the Russian. So Schubert now takes the provisional lead.

Slovenia’s Domen Skofic is one of the athletes everyone is waiting for: with three victories in 4 competitions, he’s the current World Cup leader. He’s the man to beat and he knows this well, yet he too discovers that this route is a battle and a sufferfest. It demands absolute endurance and Skofic gives all he’s got to reach Ondra’s highpoint. Which means that he’s currently in third place, on the basis of count back to the Semifinals, ahead of Ondra and behind Fakiryanov.

When the time comes for Ramón Julian Puigblanque there are plenty who hope it yet another miracle from the Spanish champion. He’s the king of Rock Master and the Climbing Stadium. But this evening the Spaniard isn’t graced and he falls two holds below Vettorata. Regardless of this, he is, and always will be, an absolute great.

When Romain Desgranges ties in it’s the last act. The Frenchman was the only athlete to complete the Semifinal earlier on today. He’s certainly on great form and he proves this climbing convincingly and safely. But, just two holds from the top, he too falls off the same small hold that tricked Fakiryanov and Schubert. But his victory in the Semifinal round is worth its weight in gold: Romain Desgranges wins thanks to countback to that round. Jakob Schubert (Aut) places second. Dmitrii Fakiryanov (Rus) finishes third. Domen Skofic (Slo) is fourth, followed by Adam Ondra (Cze), Sebastian Halenke (Ger), Francesco Vettorata (Ita) and Ramón Julian Puigblanque (Esp).


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