Bouldering at the 2019 IFSC Climbing World Cup explained

Event:Bouldering
Competition:2019 IFSC Climbing World Cup
Location: Meiringen, Switzerland
Moscow, Russia
Chongqing, China
Wujiang, China
Munich, Germany
Vail, United States
Dates:5 April – 8 June 2019
Men: Tomoa Narasaki
Women: Janja Garnbret
Prev:2018 IFSC Climbing World Cup
Next:2021 IFSC Climbing World Cup

The 2019 season of the IFSC Climbing World Cup was the 21st season of the competition. Bouldering competitions were held at six stops of the IFSC Climbing World Cup. The bouldering season began on April 5 at the World Cup in Meiringen, and concluded on June 8 with the World Cup in Vail. At each stop a qualifying was held on the first day of the competition, and the semi-final and final rounds were conducted on the second day of the competition. The winners were awarded trophies, and the best three finishers received medals. At the end of the season an overall ranking was determined based upon points, which athletes were awarded for finishing in the top 30 of each individual event.

Janja Garnbret won the women's seasonal title, winning all six competitions of the season in the process, an achievement which had never been accomplished before. The men's seasonal title went to Tomoa Narasaki while Japan defended its title in the national teams competition.

Olympic qualification

For the Tokyo 2020 Olympics athletes can qualify through either the IFSC Combined World Championships, the Olympic Qualifying Event or the Continental Championships. The Olympic Qualifying Event is an invitation only event open to the 20 highest ranked climbers on the World Cup circuit who haven't already qualified.[1]

Overall ranking

The overall ranking is determined based upon points, which athletes are awarded for finishing in the top 30 of each individual event. There are six competitions in the season, but only the best five attempts are counted. The national ranking is the sum of the points of that country's three best male and female athletes. Results displayed (in brackets) are not counted.

Men

The results of the twenty most successful athletes of the Bouldering World Cup 2019:[2]

RankNamePointsMeiringenMoscowChongqingWujiangMunichVail
1 Tomoa Narasaki3402. 80(—) 2. 801. 100(—) 2. 80
2 Adam Ondra3351. 1002. 80(—) 14. 242. 805. 51
3 Yoshiyuki Ogata2648. 403. 65(29. 1)9. 3715. 221. 100
4 Jongwon Chon2285. 5110. 34(15. 22)11. 316. 473. 65
5 Kokoro Fujii2274. 559. 376. 475. 51(—) 9. 37
6 Jan Hojer223(21. 9 *)12. 2812. 286. 473. 654. 55
7 Alexey Rubtsov2147. 4311. 315. 5110. 344. 55(—)
820515. 224. 553. 6520. 125. 51(—)
9 Jernej Kruder19111. 311. 100(34. 0)16. 2011. 3121. 9
10 Jakob Schubert18447. 027. 318. 163. 651. 100(—)
11 Rei Sugimoto1743. 6516. 207. 437. 43(—) 27. 3
12 Kai Harada14821. 9(—) 11. 312. 80(—) 12. 28
13 Manuel Cornu143(—) 7. 431. 100(—) (—) (—)
14 Taisei Ishimatsu1369. 3717. 1813. 26(23. 7) 20. 12 7. 43
15 Gregor Vezonik12120. 1223. 78. 4015. 22 8. 40(—)
16 Tomoaki Takata1176. 4719. 1421. 9 *(—)18. 1611. 31
17 YuFei Pan11213. 2621. 921. 9 *8. 4012. 28(—)
18 Keita Dohi10910. 34(—)(—)4. 55(—)16. 20
18 Alexander Megos10916. 2015. 2223. 7(—)10. 3413. 26
20 Nathaniel Coleman10417. 18(—)17. 1812. 28(—)8. 40

Women

The results of the twenty most successful athletes of the Bouldering World Cup 2019:[3]

RankNamePointsMeiringenMoscowChongqingWujiangMunichVail
1 Janja Garnbret5001. 1001. 1001. 1001. 1001. 100(1. 100)
2 Akiyo Noguchi3202. 80(—)2. 802. 80(—)2. 80
3 3084. 553. 657. 43(13. 25) *2. 803. 65
4 Futaba Ito2069. 376. 475. 517. 43(—)12. 28
5 Jessica Pilz20321. 9 *5. 513. 655. 5112. 27 *(—)
6 Petra Klingler1805. 518. 404. 5510. 34(—)(—)
7 Lučka Rakovec16316. 204. 5512. 2815. 228. 38 *(—)
8 Katja Kadic16112. 2819. 146. 4713. 25 *6. 47(—)
9 Julia Chanourdie15717. 17 *(31. 0)14. 246. 474. 5519. 14
10 Shauna Coxsey1453. 652. 80(—)(—)(—)(—)
10 Ievgeniia Kazbekova14513. 2610. 32 *25. 5 *11. 315. 51(—)
12 Alannah Yip13915. 229. 378. 4017. 18(—)15. 22
13 Alex Johnson1257. 4325. 517. 17 *(29. 1)10. 3413. 26
14 Afra Hönig11110. 3414. 23(—)25. 517. 15 *10. 34
15 Miho Nonaka110(—)(—)(—)4. 55(—)4. 55
16 Mao Nakamura102(—)23. 716. 2012. 28(—)6. 47
17 Sol Sa10017. 17 *7. 43(—)8. 40(—)(—)
18 Kyra Condie938. 4016. 20(—)(—)21. 914. 24
19 YueTong Zhang8027. 313. 2611. 3116. 20(—)(—)
20 Ai Mori7727. 3(—)21. 93. 65(—)(—)

* = Joint place with another athlete

National Teams

The results of the ten most successful countries of the Bouldering World Cup 2019:[4]

Country names as used by the IFSC

RankNamePointsMeiringenMoscowChongqingWujiangMunichVail
1 Japan1693322210321435(86)405
2 Slovenia1359213331280201334(109)
3 France766(75)151205104149157
4 Austria591759984137196(15)
5 Germany534638074(61)131186
6 United States of America4681024989(38)48180
7 Russian Federation39643136557983(—)
8 Republic of Korea3536877(34)784783
9 Czech Republic33610081(0)248051
10 Great Britain33010111934967(6)

Meiringen, Switzerland (5–6 April)

Women

100 athletes attended the World Cup in Meiringen. Last year's winner and overall Bouldering World Cup winner Miho Nonaka had to sit out due to injury. Janja Garnbret (3T4z 6 6) won in front of Akiyo Noguchi (3T4z 9 12) as the only two athletes to top the final boulder. The 2016 and 2017 winner Shauna Coxsey came in third, after recovering from last years injuries.[5] [6] [7]

RankNameScore
1 Janja Garnbret3T4z 6 6
2 Akiyo Noguchi3T4z 9 12
3 Shauna Coxsey2T3z 3 4
4 Fanny Gibert1T2z 4 2
5 Petra Klingler1T1z 1 1
6 Oceania Mackenzie1T1z 2 2

Men

115 athletes attended the World Cup in Meiringen. Last year's winner and overall Bouldering World Cup winner Jernej Kruder did not advance past the semi-final. Adam Ondra (4T4z 10 9) attended his first Bouldering World Cup since 2015 and won the competition, being the only athlete to top all routes in the final (and the previous rounds). The final route featured a handjam move which shut down most competitors. Jongwon Chon managed to dyno past it to the zone, but only Ondra, with recent trad experience, was able to use the hold as designed. The Japanese team finished with seven athletes in the Top 10 including Tomoa Narasaki (3T4z 3 4) and Rei Sugimoto (2T3z 6 7), who rounded out the podium.[8] [9]

RankNameScore
1 Adam Ondra4T4z 10 9
2 Tomoa Narasaki3T3z 7 6
3 Rei Sugimoto2T3z 6 7
4 Kokoro Fujii1T3z 3 5
5 Jongwon Chon1T3z 3 8
6 Tomoaki Takata1T1z 1 1

Moscow, Russia (13–14 April)

Women

92 athletes attended the World Cup in Moscow. Most of the Japanese team including Akiyo Noguchi and Miho Nonaka chose to not attend the World Cup. The semi-final round consisted of a tough set of boulders that saw very few tops. In contrast the final round problems were criticised for being a bit too easy, with every athlete topping at least three of the four boulders.[10] Janja Garnbret (4T4z 4 4) won the competition, flashing each of the final boulders. Shauna Coxsey (4T4z 6 6) came in second by virtue of having had a better semi-final than Fanny Gibert (4T4z 6 6) who had an identical score in the final.[11] [12]

RankNameScore
1 Janja Garnbret4T4z 4 4
2 Shauna Coxsey4T4z 6 6
3 Fanny Gibert4T4z 6 6
4 Lučka Rakovec3T4z 3 5
5 Jessica Pilz3T4z 9 10
6 Futaba Ito3T3z 6 6

Men

110 athletes attended the World Cup in Moscow. Meiringen winner Adam Ondra just barely made it through the qualifying but dominated the semi-final, topping all four boulders whereas no other athlete topped more than two. In the final Adam Ondra (3T4z 5 7), Jernej Kruder (4T4z 8 6) and Yoshiyuki Ogata (3T3z 6 5) topped the first three boulders. Kruder was the only athlete to make it to the top of the final boulder, though, thus winning the competition.[13] [12]

RankNameScore
1 Jernej Kruder4T4z 8 6
2 Adam Ondra3T4z 5 7
3 Yoshiyuki Ogata3T3z 6 5
4 Anže Peharc2T3z 6 6
5 Rei Kawamata1T3z 2 6
6 Vadim Timonov1T3z 2 8

Chongqing, China (27–28 April)

Women

85 athletes attended the World Cup in Chongqing. Shauna Coxsey, who had won medals at both previous World Cups this season, chose to not attend the World Cup. Janja Garnbret (4T4z 8 6) won her third straight World Cup. Akiyo Noguchi (4T4z 12 9) won Silver and Jessica Pilz (3T4z 8 11) took the Bronze medal.[14]

RankNameScore
1 Janja Garnbret4T4z 8 6
2 Akiyo Noguchi4T4z 12 9
3 Jessica Pilz3T4z 8 11
4 Petra Klingler1T3z 2 8
5 Futaba Ito1T2z 1 4
6 Katja Kadic0T4z 0 10

Men

101 athletes attended the World Cup in Chongqing. Meiringen winner Adam Ondra did not to attend due to respiratory infection[15] and Moscow winner Jernej Kruder failed to advance past the qualifying round. In the final Manuel Cornu (3T4z 5 5) managed to win his first World Cup. Tomoa Narasaki (3T4z 5 6) came in second and Anže Peharc (3T4z 10 10) finished in third place.[16]

RankNameScore
1 Manuel Cornu3T4z 5 5
2 Tomoa Narasaki3T4z 5 6
3 Anže Peharc3T4z 10 10
4 Sascha Lehmann2T4z 3 10
5 Alexey Rubtsov2T4z 4 11
6 Kokoro Fujii2T4z 7 9

Wujiang, China (4–5 May)

Women

83 athletes attended the World Cup in Wujiang. 2018 overall Bouldering World Cup winner Miho Nonaka attended her first World Cup of the season, returning from a shoulder injury.[15] Nonaka (2T4z 4 7) finished in fourth place. Janja Garnbret (4T4z 5 4) won her fourth straight World Cup while Akiyo Noguchi (3T4z 4 5) won Silver and 15-year old Ai Mori (3T4z 11 9) took the Bronze medal in her first World Cup final appearance.[17]

RankNameScore
1 Janja Garnbret4T4z 8 6
2 Akiyo Noguchi4T4z 12 9
3 Ai Mori3T4z 11 9
4 Miho Nonaka2T4z 4 7
5 Jessica Pilz2T4z 6 7
6 Julia Chanourdie0T2z 0 2

Men

97 athletes attended the World Cup in Wujiang. None of the previous World Cup winners of the season managed to advance to the final round. Chongqing runner-up Tomoa Narasaki (3T4z 7 8) won the competition in front of Kai Harada (3T4z 7 13). Jakob Schubert (1T4z 2 9) and Keita Dohi (1T4z 2 9) had identical final scores. Schubert was awarded the bronze medal by virtue of his better semi-final performance.[18]

RankNameScore
1 Tomoa Narasaki3T4z 7 8
2 Kai Harada3T4z 7 13
3 Jakob Schubert1T4z 2 9
4 Keita Dohi1T4z 2 9
5 Kokoro Fujii1T4z 3 18
6 Jan Hojer1T3z 9 11

Munich, Germany (18–19 May)

Women

89 athletes attended the World Cup in Munich. Most climbers from the Japanese team, including stars such as Miho Nonaka and Akiyo Noguchi, were absent,[19] opting to train for the combined instead. With Noguchi absent it was clear even before the competition was held, that the seasonal title would go to Janja Garnbret. Nonetheless Garnbret dominated the competition, topping all four semi-final boulders where of the other athletes only Ievgeniia Kazbekova could find a single top on a boulder. In the final Garnbret (4T4z 5 5) and Fanny Gibert (4T4z 8 6) topped all four boulders, but Garnbret won by number of attempts. Garnbret thus won her third consecutive title in Munich and the fifth consecutive title of the season, which will have her finish the season on the maximum points attainable (500) regardless of her result in Vail.[20] The bronze medal went to Mia Krampl (3T3z 9 9) who climbed through the final despite a knee injury.[21]

RankNameScore
1 Janja Garnbret4T4z 5 5
2 Fanny Gibert4T4z 8 6
3 Mia Krampl3T4z 11 9
4 Julia Chanourdie2T2z 5 5
5 Ievgeniia Kazbekova1T3z 3 7
6 Katja Kadic1T2z 1 6

Men

119 athletes attended the World Cup in Munich. Most climbers from the Japanese team, including stars such as Tomoa Narasaki, Rei Sugimoto and Kai Harada, were absent, opting to train for the combined instead. In the final Adam Ondra flashed the first three boulders, leading the competition in front of Jakob Schubert on two tops and three zones. However, Ondra (3T3z 3 3) could not find a zone on the final boulder whereas Schubert (3T4z 7 8) had topped, thus winning the competition. German Jan Hojer won bronze, making his first podium since his win in Munich two years before.[22] [20]

RankNameScore
1 Jakob Schubert3T4z 7 8
2 Adam Ondra3T3z 3 3
3 Jan Hojer2T4z 4 14
4 Alexey Rubtsov2T3z 5 6
5 Anze Peharc1T4z 3 6
6 Jongwon Chon1T3z 5 9

Vail, United States (7–8 June)

Women

55 athletes attended the World Cup in Vail. Several strong athletes decided not to attend including Shauna Coxsey, Jessica Pilz, and all of the Slovenian team aside from Janja Garnbret. Garnbret had already secured the overall seasonal title, but could become the first climber ever to make a complete sweep of a bouldering season, winning all World Cups.

Janja reached the final and completed boulders one and two. Going into the third boulder Garnbret, Akiyo Noguchi and Miho Nonaka had each topped number one and two while Fanny Gibert, Mao Nakamura, and Luce Douady had all failed to top the second boulder. Garnbret had fallen behind on number of attempts, however. As Nonaka and Noguchi could not find a top on the third boulder Garnbret seized the chance to take the lead, which put her in a position where she was guaranteed the victory if she could find a top on the final problem. When Noguchi completed the final problem it was clear that Garnbret would indeed have to match the top for the win. Ultimately Janja (4T4z 9 8) flashed the final boulder and secured her sixth straight win, completing the first sweep of a Bouldering World Cup season. Noguchi (3T4z 5 6) came in second and Gibert (2T4z 3 9) finished third.[23] [24]

RankNameScore
1 Janja Garnbret4T4z 9 8
2 Akiyo Noguchi3T4z 5 6
3 Fanny Gibert2T4z 3 9
4 Miho Nonaka2T4z 5 5
5 Luce Douady1T4z 2 8
6 Mao Nakamura1T4z 3 10

Men

57 athletes attended the World Cup in Vail. Adam Ondra went into the competition with a 21-point lead over Tomoa Narasaki in the World Cup standings, meaning that Ondra would win the seasonal title if he finished in first or second place regardless of Narasaki's finish.

Ondra and Narasaki both made it to the final of the Vail competition along with Yoshiyuki Ogata, Jongwon Chon, Jan Hojer, and Sean McColl. All athletes but McColl found tops on the first two boulders. Ondra did not make it to the zone on the third, though, whereas Narasaki and Ogata completed the problem. The final boulder was only topped by Yoshiyuki Ogata (4T4z 11 9) who won his first bouldering World Cup being the only athlete to top all final boulders. Tomoa Narasaki (3T4z 5 5) came in second while Adam Ondra (2T3z 3 4) finished fifth, which allowed Narasaki to overtake Ondra in the World Cup standings and claim the seasonal title. Jongwon Chon (3T4z 6 7) won the bronze medal, his first medal since his win in Navi Mumbai almost two years before.[25] [26]

RankNameScore
1 Yoshiyuki Ogata4T4z 11 9
2 Tomoa Narasaki3T4z 5 5
3 Jongwon Chon3T4z 6 7
4 Jan Hojer2T4z 4 6
5 Adam Ondra2T3z 3 4
6 Sean McColl1T3z 3 9

Notes and References

  1. Web site: How climbers will be chosen for the 2020 olympics. Climbing.com. February 18, 2019. John Burgman.
  2. Web site: IFSC Bouldering World Cup 2019 Men OVERALL Ranking .
  3. Web site: IFSC Bouldering World Cup 2019 Women OVERALL Ranking .
  4. Web site: IFSC Bouldering World Cup 2019 National Team Ranking .
  5. Web site: Ondra and Garnbret take the gold in a great final - 2019 Meiringen Bouldering World Cup . 8 April 2019 . 8 April 2019 . OnBouldering.com .
  6. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B) - Meiringen (SUI) 2019 - General result M E N bouldering . 6 April 2019 . 8 April 2019 . .
  7. Web site: Recap and Photo Gallery: IFSC Meiringen World Cup 2019—Bouldering . Climbing Magazine . John Burgman . 8 April 2019.
  8. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B) - Meiringen (SUI) 2019 - General result W O M E N bouldering . 6 April 2019 . 8 April 2019 . .
  9. Web site: Ondra Hand Jams His Way to Gold, Garnbret Wins Twentieth Career World Cup in Meiringen. Rock and Ice . Delaney Miller . 8 April 2019.
  10. Web site: Shauna Coxsey wins silver in Moscow . The British Mountaineering Council. Peter Burnside. 15 April 2019.
  11. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B,S) - Moscow (RUS) 2019 - General result W O M E N bouldering . 14 April 2019 . 16 April 2019 . .
  12. Web site: Alannah Yip finishes 9th at Moscow Boulder WC. 15 April 2019. Bonnie de Bruijn. Gripped Magazine.
  13. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B,S) - Moscow (RUS) 2019 - General result M E N bouldering . 14 April 2019 . 16 April 2019 . .
  14. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B,S) - Chongqing (CHN) 2019 - General result W O M E N bouldering . 28 April 2019 . 30 April 2019 . .
  15. Web site: Recap and Photo Gallery: IFSC Wujiang World Cup 2019—Bouldering and Speed . Burgman . John . . 6 May 2019 . 7 May 2019 .
  16. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B,S) - Chongqing (CHN) 2019 - General result M E N bouldering . 28 April 2019 . 30 April 2019 . .
  17. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B,S) - Wujiang (CHN) 2019 - General result W O M E N bouldering . 5 May 2019 . 7 May 2019 . .
  18. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B,S) - Wujiang(CHN) 2019 - General result M E N bouldering . 5 May 2019 . 7 May 2019 . .
  19. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B) - Munich (GER) 2019 - General result W O M E N bouldering . 19 May 2019 . 21 May 2019 . .
  20. Web site: Munich Bouldering WC: Surprise for the Men, No Surprise for the Women . 19 May 2019 . Bonnie de Bruijn . Gripped Magazine.
  21. Web site: A battle to the end for both sides . 19 May 2019 . 21 May 2019 . .
  22. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B) - Munich (GER) 2019 - General result M E N bouldering . 19 May 2019 . 21 May 2019 . .
  23. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B) - Vail (GER) 2019 - General result W O M E N bouldering . 8 June 2019 . 12 June 2019 . .
  24. Web site: Janja Garnbret is First Ever to Sweep Boulder Season . 8 June 2019 . Gripped Magazine.
  25. Web site: IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B) - Vail (GER) 2019 - General result M E N bouldering . 8 June 2019 . 13 June 2019 . .
  26. Web site: Yoshiyuki Ogata Wins His First Bouldering World Cup in Vail . 9 June 2019 . 13 June 2019 . Bonnie de Bruijn . Gripped Magazine.