For the 22nd time in history, Chamonix, France, will host a Climbing World Cup. From 12 tov 14 July, only a couple of weeks before the start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the best Lead and Speed athletes in the world will compete in one of the most iconic location of the circuit.
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e e e e [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] hello and welcome to the sunshine of a shamony morning it’s semi-finals time for the lead my name is Matt groom I’m joined in the commentary Box by Joshua brains from South Africa Joshua you were the first South African athlete who’s ever shared my commentary box so tell me a little bit about yourself yes so my name is Joshua BRS I’m a sou African speed climber so speed’s mostly my baby but I did start out as a lead boulderer and then transitioned over a few years ago so I’ve actually done World Cups in all three disciplines and yeah I’m uh 20 years old and I’m actually a par of 2024 qualified athlete amazing so the gentlemen next to me we’ll be at the games in Paris soon competing for medals and as you say look this is where you started on a lead wall so explain to me first of all a little bit about this wall because looking at the backdrop there it’s a special place to go climbing isn’t it yeah it’s a very special place to climb uh I would say it’s probably climbing’s grandest venue um my favorite World Cup on the circuit for sure I always say if I could only do one World Cup every year it would be the shamon World Cup and yeah I actually I did compete in the lead in 2022 uh and it was we one of my one of my first World Cups actually and yeah it was incredible uh this Wall’s super steep um especially kind of at the start probably a little bit steeper than it actually looks on camera not the not the biggest wall um especially in comparison to the mountain drop it looks actually quite small uh yeah about 15 M and it’s pretty it’s pretty Relentless and it usually starts pretty stiff you you’re kind of bouldering from the go yes agreed there’s two routs here women’s and men’s and uh men’s on the right hand side women’s on the left and as you said it’s a it’s a wall that tends to uh usually feature endurance style Roots there’s nothing particularly bouldery in this it’s just pure grinding out out there on the wall and let’s I want to ask about altitude actually because obviously as a speed climber you’re moving the fastest of all the athletes does the altitude affect you or is it not really a factor I would say for Speed climbing probably not so much because it is such a you know short discipline uh and I don’t think the altitude here is as bad as say like Salt Lake City where you do find actually particularly when you’re training um you do run and then you are just a bit more out of breath the air just feels thicker and it takes a little bit longer to sort of recover I imagine for for the lead climbers though uh it’s got to be a little bit tougher for sure um and especially I mean you’re breathing the whole way up the route on the lead uh and so yeah I imagine definitely is a is a factor but at the same time quite a lot of the World Cups are at sort of an elevated altitude so I reckon as well a lot of the guys are quite used to it yeah and endurance and that Fitness is just part of who they are of course so yeah we’re hoping that won’t affect them too much we’re looking now at the semi-finals the athletes qualified yesterday during a long day of qualifications and finals for the speed and just to remind you if you missed any of the action you can go back and watch it online for free on the world climbing Club where we’ve got highlights interviews grid Walks from today’s episode and more and the women here Lyn Vandy just squeezing into the semi-finals place a couple missing out of course but um Joshua we are missing some names here um because we’re in this process right now where some athletes are getting ready for the game some are missing this um it means that for some of our athletes it might be a chance to get on the podium possibly yeah it’s definitely a a smaller field in in lead and speed actually than than the last two years I mean even just Just For Speed we were down to I think 51 and I think we had just over 80 last year so it does show there was just um quite a lot of the athletes qualified for Paris opting to you know prioritize training uh and preparation for Paris rather than compete at at this world cup and perhaps the one in in Brian on in a few days time and uh yeah it definitely opens up some opportunities we we saw it in the speed yesterday and we we’re seeing it today and we I’m sure we’re going to see some some new faces in the in the lead finals later tonight yeah it’s going to be exciting and Shaman is one of those venues where it seems to bring out the best in athletes the crowd last night I’ve never seen a crowd that big for Speed ever it was packed standing room only in the uh Arena yeah it was incredible um even for practice runs of the qualification round it was I mean I I couldn’t see the back of the the crowd when I came out it was yeah it was unbelievable um shamon is usually the best crowd of the year uh and it it’s definitely the best atmosphere and I I can’t even imagine how many people are going to be here tonight for the lead finals it’s going to be absolutely stacked yes it is well the athletes observed The Roots earlier on you can see behind that curtain organizers running around uh that’s the isolation area or the warm-up Zone and the crowd have been filtering in this morning is a beautiful day here in sham there’ll be lots of people up in the mountains probably watching us from high up but uh it’s lovely to see the crowd coming and joining us and the wall itself is in the shade and Lin Vandy Meir walks onto the shamon stage for the first time first athlete out Jules Marshland from France will be on the right of her we get two athletes climbing at the same time here we’ll of course flick between them try not to miss any of the action there is Jules and home crowd Advantage I feel like we saw it a little bit last night because when that many people are screaming your name you either freeze up or you improve I think and we saw lots of French athletes doing really well yesterday yeah definitely I mean I it it it’s one of those where I reckon I think for me it would definitely stress me to be in front of a home crowd where the support is so in your favor but I mean when you look at how well the French have done at the the shamon World Cups in the past bonon World Cups uh there’s got to be something in it definitely for the for the home crowd Advantage there’s no doubt yeah and as you say bring on next week and Jules here is working his way through the bottom of the route there’s a tricky no foot section coming up campusing really on okay crimps but we’ll see that in a sec and they working quite hard down low here big slopers that he’s getting hasn’t got the clip in cries to crack in a toe meanwhile Linn vanir is in a similar position on the wall couple of meters up and Lynn now needs to be very accurate with his hands hit the blocked crimps drags her right heel into a toe you can see Jules trying very hard from pretty early here just coming up to about sixth clip now and it yeah it’s a very very bould restart look quite straightforward but just powerful and then this row of crimps here looks very confusing while I was looking at this o at the start yeah you got I thought it might be a little a little camper section here wow he’s read that well though cuz I is to try to put some feet in and it’s better if you don’t yeah I wondered if it was sort of a rose move but then you look at the feet and it just isn’t really anything to the right and so I think he’s done that perfectly but it it must have been quite quite energy sapping for sure and now he’s into a blocked kind of a crack created there Lynn meanwhile is going back and forth she spread between the two blue volumes lots of body tension required as she now brings that left foot into play makes the swap on the feet and Jo looked like he was fighting right from the get-go on that men’s route yeah definitely and I actually think that this men’s route is going to be very very hard today especially given the fact that we did have a lot of double tops yesterday in qualification for the men um the root Setters would have been under a little bit of pressure to to Really separate the field in semi today so yeah I’m not surprised to see it really really really tough on the go yeah you’re absolutely right with that I was talking to the Setters about the qualifying you know wasn’t obviously ideal in terms of Separation so they were saying it was more a uh a testing issue and time than anything else and just slightly undercooked but these semi-final routes will be back to the normal business end of a competition so Lynn cracks in a heel fighting here as she hits the next blocked crimp oh real Shake there as those elbows start to come up crosses through drops it tried to slap something on the way down that was a really really good fight from L and the crowd appreciating that this is the uh 399th World Cup event which is kind of crazy in the 22nd here in Shaman only the second uh most World Cups in history with cran taking that title with 25 and as you can see we’ll wait I think between athletes before we bring over we’re not we’re going straight on there we go so teas vest comes on from Belgium I was talking to a very enthusiastic person from Belgium the other day telling me that Belgium was the greatest climbing Nation he’s got a point I mean there’s such good athletes that are coming through definitely and actually I mean you see we we’ve got a couple of um Belgian athletes for for Paris 2024 most notably Hannah vanas who’s uh really been kind of carrying the the Belgian flag over the last couple of years uh in the lead and Boulder discipline and uh yeah TS hasn’t made a a World Cup final as of yet in lead um but he’s been in semis many times so I guess it kind of gets back to what we were saying about could we see some new faces in in the Lea found tonight and I mean he’s definitely a contender for that absolutely and Ma Nakamura who has the best climbing face I’ve ever watched on a wall she’s so much fun to see I know it sounds like a bit arbitrary but you know when an athlet having a great time and you can pick up that energy she’s one of them I think and she’s underwear the left so teas rests on a sloper feet down low a tow hook in underneath just to steady himself brings that left foot up but again fighting hard down low here he’s only four Clips in currently we have a new sponsor this year for the ifsc trango which provide the quick draws and safety equipment you can see those uh blue and pink quick draws which uh I’d love to get my hand on some of them to be honest I might have to have a word right ma reaches up into the crimp section on top of the volume crosses through keep an eye on teas as well as he drops into an undercling with the right hand he looks for the toe and now interestingly this is actually her first uh lead World Cup according to my to my mean many many Boulder World Cups and a couple of Boulder World Cup finals actually but first lead World Cup interestingly I think she’s one to watch you know she’s very very powerful as you say in Boulder and we’ve seen so many athletes carry that power into a lead route but having said that this might not be the route for her because it’s not particularly bouldering no no and we saw with Lynn you’re definitely going to have to get pretty high today uh probably onto the head will realistically to make that final tonight wow huge lockoff strength there with that left arm he’s slightly Tangled in the Rope oh he’s very Tangled in the Rope now yeah so problematic here he’s got to sort that rope out if he falls now it’s going to be pretty nasty there now he flicks it under I mean Joshua explain that one because rope management is always part of these comps but that was a nasty position he was in yeah it’s usually not a huge a huge issue it’s not e something you really have to worry about but yeah with like a 360 campus move like that you can just get tangled up and it it is I mean it’s super spooky cuz you just don’t want to let go there you’re going to get a really really nasty rope burn um yeah quite a quite a stressful moment there for the young Belgian climber but he’s he’s recovered super well and he’s actually looking pretty pretty good now yeah probably one of those moments which looks worse for us than for him but he’s struggling with the feet yeah tried to plant that left foot but it was a bit far so I wonder if that rope did affect him meanwhile ma is continuing but she as well having to fight here cracks in a heel and slides off she didn’t seem to have the height to be able to pull on that side pole properly yeah it looked like she just went a bit too low on that hold uh that holds one of those where if you get a little bit higher up on it it gets a little bit Ian it’s pretty slopey everywhere but it gets a little bit more positive the higher you get up it and I think she just shot a little bit too low and then you can just see just peeled off it so early Falls so far with four athletes done we’ve got 26 in total 26 men 26 women we’re looking for just eight finalists to move forward to tonight’s final they’ll have this afternoon to go away and recover of course course the athletes used to that kind of a schedule especially off the back of the oqs series those competing in that if you’ve watched that you’ll know what a marathon couple of days of climbing that was and teas leaves the stage and the day is is quite fresh although it looks very sunny it’s a fairly chilly morning actually especially in the shade and that’s where the athletes are so they’ll appreciate those conditions yeah it’s been a little bit little bit cooler actually this weekend than in in in past years definitely usually you get really really blazing heat in shamony but I think all the athletes have really appreciated just a bit of a a drop in temperature this year all right well next couple are out mashiro huchi from Japan the lead specialist will be out on the wall and then L tus no time no hesitation straight onto the wall for her and underway yeah the athletes observed the route before we went on air so they get some time to check it out there is a time limit on this we can’t show you a clock but we’ll let you know if people get close and I think ltia should find the bottom of this route a bit easier she’s very powerful yeah super strong climber uh actually she competed at the oqs recently you were just talking about the marathon that was the the oqs series um and yeah one one of the climbers to unfortunately narrowly miss out on Olympic qualification but I mean really really good to to see her here and yeah just one of a a really strong crop of uh female sveni climbers yeah her teammate uh Jessica Buckley recently really did incredibly well in inbrook on the podium competing up with yya so there’s as you say depth in this Slovenian Squad coming through yya isn’t here at this one I don’t think she’s in bonon either I think after the double gold in inbrook she decided that prep was enough I’m fascinated to see mashi hero here because he’s also really struggling with the feet yeah it looks like he’s he’s fighting a little bit this start he looks sort of in control but he’s definitely having to try pretty hard had to do lots of moves to get that low clip in and Mah hero is actually a lead World Cup winner from 2021 in cran actually um so lots and lots of lead World Cup specifically experience yeah he is one of those more of a specialist lead clim has a healing now and he’ll have the ability just to uh if he makes a small mistake to reset himself L tus is on the stretchy section down low we saw a bit of a oh hang on mashy hero is struggling here look at that that lockoff strength on the right was super impressive I quite like to see a sort of I am going to call it more of an old school move this yeah definitely Just Like Old School pulling super hard on crimps uh it is really but then with a bit of a a new school uh twang I guess with the you know Foot Loose campus uh 360 yeah it is super cool to see that blend when you say it like that yeah like a computer game not CL we have to invent moves here right he’s up onto the first of the slopers the crack to come in the background you see a tarus made the step over to the second blue volume she very Str out there you can just see her legs and now returns left a little bit mashy Hero’s right hand is in that crack like feature I found this section quite complicated for the men but apparently it climbs pretty straight forward follows the sequence yeah when I was looking at it it looked pretty complicated uh and it was quite tough to actually see some of those white screw on on those black volumes but that move there actually same move that uh te fell off and that’s that’s emerging as a little bit of a a little bit of a Crux move perhaps it looks super tough you see it tus as well Falls so early falls down low certainly the difficulty stepping up from the qualifying round here some big names to come imori Jessica BTS jei Kim are a top three for the women they all got double tops and then for the men there were lots of double tops for the men but our top three is Toby Roberts Shion Mata and Sam avazu but Alberto’s in in there Adam Andre is in there Stephan sof is in there so it’s a big series of names let seeus will undo her rope and reset I’m not sure that’s going to be enough for her I think she knows it as well yeah you can just see a little bit of disappointment there with Lucia I mean it was a really really good fight she just looked to get a little bit stuck around the same section as the as the previous two uh women but I mean yeah it’s definitely looking like the kind of route where you’re probably going to need to get on the head wall and be and be fighting it out there and that’s that’s often the case with these Shamy semi-finals and finals um that last stretch on the head will often presents that really big challenge to sort of the the final climbers the the best Climbers on the day all right well teimo isik is out from Austria they would have come over a lot of people stayed in inbrook after the last World Cup to train and made the journey across here team Austria with some big names MAA potsy later on is well worth watching out for because she’s on a runner form two very talented young Austrian climbers both out at the same time um Flora actually made a a World Cup debut two weeks ago in inbrook and she played 10th which is remarkable on a on a World Cup debut um that’s and especially at the age of age of I mean that’s unbelievable and then yeah Teo I think just his his third world cup ever it appears and uh you’re also another really young talented Austrian athlete yes and we saw that Flora just struggling with that heal she had the heal really far over to the right which made the cut loose pretty tricky to hold that might burnt some energy here but she’ll be able to get a little bit back on the heels teimo m is crossing through quite a way below that campus section we can see it above his head yeah it’s one of those routes uh that builds to this moment for the women this sequence and for those of you who are new to climbing it can seem strange sometime sometimes how the biggest holds like the one she’s about to go for you know look enormous but uh doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good to hold on to yeah for sure and we’re seeing more and more kind of macro slopers volumes that are actually very very bad to hold on uh they look amazing they look super impressive aesthetically pleasing but they’re really really bad to hold on to H especially with these white ones here the Teo on right now uh those holds especially on this angle are just not not great yeah it’s probably about 40° in the middle of this wall if not a bit more so Flora she missed the feet as she stepped across then got the right foot on hits this splits move teimo going through the the camper looking pretty pretty strong he’s got to flick that left hand around the Rope though at some point holds the swing yeah go untangles himself from the row hasn’t made the clip yeah he’s got to get that clip in he might have to come back down onto the right hand told there there we go and Flora is through the first of the women’s cruxes entering the yellow slopers now there shamony wall with the unique color scheme that we see with the red mountains painted on the wall oh bit definitely fighting looked like he managed to get a little bit back on those two crimps just after the the campus section yeah he Cruis the campus apart from that rope flick which is kind of unavoidable but he’s power screaming now but nearing this head nearing this really really hard move that oh those cross shoulder moves are so difficult especially to a blocked crimp like that yeah and when you’re pumped after all that climbing as well I mean w so so challenging Flora just held the drop down she’s on the edge as well here another move out that right finger buried in the pocket flicks the left feet over and cracks a heel in that’s all she’s holding on to and this is a a new high point on the wom’s route so far ooh very nice a great drop down SE sequence that read that well but has she got the power some Boosty moves to come now and you’d want the heal to be way further on the left of that hole but obviously blocked for that reason yeah that’s uh that’s pretty cool from the root cers there putting that that Blocker in to stop the heel hook yeah they know so often these blockers are just for heels rather than hands yeah root sets have got all sorts of tricks up their up their sleeve to try and make these rootes even even tougher than they already are exactly those black hols by the way on the walls that’s bolt covers and you can touch it you can stand on it theoretically although you’d fall straight off it but it prevents those accidents we saw in the past where athletes stand on bolts and you can see in the background there there’s another Boulder wall all the walls here made by ep and we got an interview with the one of the designers of EP coming on today’s Climbing Club so you can check that out she’s done really well here spent a long time on this whole recovering yeah Flora managing to get a lot back here off this not overly positive hold I mean a decent you know flat hold on that volume but I mean even on this angle that’s it’s by no means a joke and she’s yeah she’s read there for a good sort of 30 to 45 seconds and this section to me looked super powerful when I was looking at at the ground cuz these slopers after all that climbing are going to be so so desperate oh wow she’s still on fighting through here Lo and now more crossr moves to come here on oh wow drops the clip getting the clip this is super impressive from Flora here oh she fought way longer than she really almost deserved to be on the W it was incredible she found something extra there rested really well and looking calm as she comes down that is our new provisional leader here right Jesse grouper comes on from the USA he will be an Olympian but it’s great to see him back because just after he qualified at the PanAm he had a finger injury that really cost him dear and I was when we were in Salt Lake we were watching him just on slabs you know working on his coordination moves and he hasn’t really been able to crimp for a long time he recovered now he told me yesterday the finger F felt good felt okay so fingers crossed for literally fingers crossed for Jessie yeah Jesse I mean he really he really burst onto well he burst onto the scene many years ago but he had his breakout season you you’d say in 2022 where he won a couple of World Cups and yes I mean since then he’s been among the world’s best particularly in the lead climbing discipline and then yeah of course saw him at the Pan-American championships uh last Autumn claim his uh his Olympic spot which was so welld deserved an incredible moment actually um where he got the he got the high point on that that lead route right at the end and managed to just get ahead uh of his competitors and and win the Pan-American Champs and uh get that Olympic birth and yeah first World Cup of the year for him um which is first leag World Cup which is yeah be reallying to see how he goes I mean a good day in qualification yesterday so we’ll see how how this route suits him exactly all to play for for Jesse and he won’t be seeing this as one he necessarily needs to win because as you said it’s a return for him you want to get some of that I I know what’s called in boxing is called ring rust wool rust whatever it is comp rust but he’ll just want to get one under his belt make sure the fers okay and remind himself what it’s like climbing on a big stage yeah I think I think comp practice is super important especially ahead of the Olympic Games you want to at least get I’d say a couple of Big World Cups um just to get used to that that try hard and and just like the relentlessness of of the roots U so it’s really good to see him here uh and yeah I’m really really hoping he can have a good return to to his lead World Cup career cuz yeah he’s been he’s been an incredible climate to watch over the last couple years his endurance just stands out to me just unbelievable and I even remember actually watching him in in Salt Lake just training quite briefly uh on like a circuit board and I mean he was just going and going it was super impressive and super hardworking by all accounts as well like trains that endurance so so hard so yeah it’s his uh it’s his magic touch that endurance and on the left jha Kim another 16-year-old coming in only her second World Cup 62nd sorry 66th in insbrook so this is a PB already for her and the youth scene at the moment it’s hard to tell where the junior circuit stops the senior circuit begins at the moment yeah it feels like um this said the average age of uh Climbers on the adult scene is just getting younger and younger um yeah only 16 years of 16 years old and uh yeah as you said One World Cup under her belt and yeah I mean it’s just like you’re seeing so many of these now 16 17 year olds just burst onto the scene and having like really really a lot of success early which is so so impressive I feel like in the past it usually took a couple of years for some of the youngsters to really kind of make a name for themselves and break through on the adult scene whereas now it’s just they come straight in first couple World Cups already oh no Jesse I was just about to say that that will be a test for Jesse’s finger you know if you’ve got a bit of a finger nigle a no campus section is going to be brutal for you and Jesse does fall there so not going to be a finals for Jesse but as we said part of his recovery here so we stick with jua and she yeah drops off couldn’t work the feet out early Falls for both our athletes couple early Falls for both far are athletes so I mean yeah real sh shame for Jesse of course but I think he’s got to be still super proud just to be back in semis after that injury first lead World Cup in well since September of last year so I mean he’s still going to leave his his head held high and I mean it’s all really really good prep as well for a few weeks time in Paris exactly well he will leave the stage do undo her not next two athletes will be waiting just a reminder that the uh the sequence here the athletes who qualified last come out first and although you’d expect because of that the uh the high point to change we go down the order often we see athletes coming out early on making a bid for finals so don’t leave us make sure you stay with us all the way through Georgio tattis comes out from Italy he’ll be joined by Eloise Dumont in a minute sham sky behind us covered in paragliders not many clouds a beautiful sunny day here Giorgio will be taking none of that in it’s just he’ll just be seeing the red of the wall in front of him as he pulls on once into his semi-final Round Here We Go Eloise deont has just walked onto the stage as [Applause] well coming quickly down low there is the Belgium athlete and Eloise has about 10 years of World Cup experience actually uh made her World Cup debut in 2014 so I’ve been on the scene for a while uh yet to make a final made tons of semi-finals but yet to make a World Cup final so perhaps today could be the day yeah it’s certainly a blank slight all to play for here and we’ve seen so many athletes come through in recent competitions so yeah let’s see Georgio just doing that sequence slightly differently opting to bump the right hand to the the FV crimp and actually looked quite looked quite comfortable but yeah slightly different to to the previous climbers yeah solid from him so far no drama Eloise Cuts loose for a moment gets that foot in just a little bit of a dry fire there with the right hand from Giorgio but he’s composed himself he’s looking reasonably calm yeah he’ll rest there for a second shake out those moments can just get in your head as an athlete you need to put it to one side it’s easier said than done so much of leag climbing is energy management you know you don’t want to burn your energy too early on moves that you should do and that’s where the frustration comes in for athletes often Eloise moving through the crimps but the next move is the biggie moving from left to right on the volumes Georgio definitely climbing a little bit slower than the previous climbers uh I’d say still looking pretty pretty strong pretty calm but just taking a slightly more pragmatic approach and we’ll see how he goes on the the campus section yeah here we go crosses through legs swinging in the air got to get those legs underneath you oh really strong work yeah but he’s close here isn’t he hits the right C he’s really far on the left of that hold needs to rock up on it his fingers in a oh the match as well he’s really really fighting now I think it was a bit of a desperation match that one but it’s worked for him drags the Rope up to make the clip Eloise andir Falls you could see the second he made that match he was in trouble yeah I think just uh the the slightly slower Approach at the at the start and then that campus section just took it completely out of him uh even on the campus he he locked off very very hard he didn’t kind of use his hips to flow through as much as some of the previous climbers but I mean I mean still a really really strong performance from him and yeah only his third ever work up semi-final So I’m mean an amazing effort just to just to be in the semi-final today yeah and Eloise fell on the cross through move into the pocket you can see the arms start to shake there you can’t get away with a move like that in terms of if you’ve burnt out a bit you know across through you really test the shoulders well she will undo her not deep breath as as Georgia leaves the stage so two more done six athletes now have climbed 26 in total and Eloise yeah just thinking about what goes through your head when you were competing when you come down from the wall the second you hit the ground you know what are you thinking about I think you’re just thinking about sort of the movie fell off and and what you did wrong and I think for me often as soon as I I fell off my my instant reaction was oh you know what have I what did I do I should have done better like you know often I would just stare back up at the route and look back at it as if I’m about to get on it in a few minutes time which is not not the case of course you only get one go um they’re very different from Boulder for example where you get multiple attempts yeah yeah yeah I’ll call it Duffy underway here yeah it’s definitely uh it’s an leader such an interesting discipline in that sense cuz obviously you only get one go you make one mistake you are you’re punished quickly and I always found it to be the the toughest discipline to compete in of of the three having competed in all three I I think lead is the most mentally taxing uh definitely just CU of the the margin for error is so so slim yes well this man is used to that margin of error he’s very experienced he will be an Olympian Colin Duffy uh made the finals in inbrook for lead which is great to see actually nice to see him fighting back didn’t struggle a bit in Boulder much better in lead not a massive USA team here a few coming through but uh Brook rabbu Nataly grman they are staying at home to [Applause] train yeah quite a few of the the US contingency did opt to to stay at home uh and just prioritize Olympic preparation in in speed and in the lead and Boulder which of course makes makes a lot of sense but we did see Sam Watson of course Team USA last night getting the win in speed and he is a a Paris 2024 qualified athlete as well so yeah we’ll see I’m really excited to watch Colin tonight I actually think this route could could suit him from what I what I’ve seen so far yeah so let’s see how he gets on Helen janor is on the left of your screens she was at the oqs didn’t qualify up against some tough competition in terms of other athletes and also her teammates we saw lots of inter team rivalry going on but Helen yesterday seemed more relaxed than I’ve seen her in a while well walking through the athlete she was smiling she looked chill so let’s see if she can translate that Colin Duffy M rips outright looking as we kind of expect pretty powerful here looking really comfortable through that I’d say the most comfortable we’ve seen so far through that campus section getting a little bit of rest now yeah absolutely on these two crims his kind of a move yeah definitely I mean he’s just such a powerful climber and he’s got tons of endurance as well so I could see him really being a to fight through this this next section here where we’ve seen a lot of the other climbers uh just get super pumped and come off Helen made the transition across the volumes easily she had a very low left foot she’s tall and could make it work now tips over the right foot onto a crimp and comes into the undering that she locks off put to heal in for the clip cin meanwhile he starts Traverse left now nearing the head wall you can see the metal coping above his head that’s where the angle changes gone for a slightly interesting approach here again bumping the left hand which is going to make this next move a bit further away for Colin he’s found the foot and now he’s going to have to really really lock off on that right hand he’s forcing his own leg out almost yeah he missed the foot twice got it the third time Helen crosses through this is where we’ve seen a lot of women fall and she’s in and Colin really battling here fits into that box he’s ignoring the clip he creeps the hands up towards a bad three finger drag oh Colin falls on the head walk that could be enough you know yeah I think Colin our first man to get just onto the head wall and yeah new high point on this men’s route and I reckon that’s a decent a decent bid for the final I mean that section is so so hard I think anyone who can push through those really really tough few moves has got a very good chance of just sliding into the top eight so Len arrests on The Jug is hold and I say is take that with a pinch of salt what’s a jug for these athletes is not for M morals but it is a position where you can recover here and Helen actually won bronze in Shaman last year in lead which is uh yeah interesting so she’s got well a history of success here in Shaman in front of her home crowd so we’ll see if she can get back into that final tonight yeah she rocks up on that heel into the sloper good work we see Flora who stayed on that hole for a long long time Helen slightly different approach brings the right foot up a high left heel now for the first time having to battle she’s in some trouble misses the sloper and waves goodby just in two minds a little bit there Helen about whether to get that high left heel or just go like we saw a flora and just take the cut loose either way looks brutally hard because that left heel on that sloper you’re not going to get a lot of purchase with it um but at the same time you know when your pumped taking a big cut loose going up with the left hand that’s a big barly move which is a floor man to to stick which was so so impressive and yeah Helen just just coming off there but still a really really good effort um and we’ll see I mean the that that could potentially put her in the mix of finals but obviously lots and lots of climbers still to come exactly we’ll have to wait and see Stephan shetz is climbing now underway quickly through the bottom of the [Music] [Applause] route yeah that angle’s good actually you can see how bad the sloper is it would wouldn’t be too bad if it was on a vertical wall but it’s not it’s very Steep and you can see there as well those crimps are blocked just giving it even less for the fingers another thing I noticed with this men through earlier was just like how few feet have been put in in a lot of the a lot of players a lot of Cut Loose there’s a lot of using the volumes for your feet uh and that’s just going to be so so taxing on the forearms and the fingers just getting you even more pumped and we’re seeing Stefan having to like many of the athletes having to try quite hard early on this route and and batting a little bit with that clip yeah I think that clip cost him pretty dear actually he’s had to reverse the move picked up the Rope dropped the rope that would have burnt some energy you can see how fast he’s climbing he’ll be wanting a rest at some point needing some shakes here our cameras on the wall really showing all of the uh angles and no chance of arrest of course he’s got the campus section to come but you see the speed of it oh it’s almost rushing just catches that powers up again [Applause] strong work from Stefan he’s got to get that clip with the the right hand hold there but looking pretty solid I would say after maybe a slightly strenuous start yeah I think he had to dig deep into the power reserves there but he is a powerful climber so he’s made it work adjusts the hands on the sloper and another accurate move to come just fingertips in that crack and you’re right about the lack of feet actually you can see how much he’s swinging the feet around trying to find any foothold oh that was a little wild jump the athletes will be looking for the plus Point by going towards the next hold using the hold you got to move the center of mass and gravity towards it you can’t just be falling off backwards and slapping natsuki Tani is underway now she is an endurance Queen we’ve seen her many many roots never let go similar kind of style to imori I always think in terms of liking the static moves yeah I think so and I think she’s quite a similar height actually to imore one of the one of the smaller athletes in the field for sure um yeah just unbelievable endurance just keeps on climbing um definitely more of a lead climber again similar to to imori and yeah just loads and loads a lead World Cup experience a couple of medals as well so we’ll see how she goes today yeah it’s again the kind of route that will probably suit a clever left foot there underneath that volume almost jamming it in that’s a good bit of climbing from her actually from this angle as well you can see how bad some of these crimps on the on the blue volume actually are I think sometimes with lead from an audience perspective you can’t always tell just how bad the holds are and how tough the The Roots truly are you get those closeup angles you really puts it into perspective yes it does well she’s through that sequence with no real drama at the moment slopers to come you see the jibs on the holds they’ll be for thumbs for feet she’s choosing to rest here on the slopers crimps to come of course you need to adjust those feet get it high and a bit of a flick up above her head as she latches onto that blue hold [Music] climbing high above the audience now great to see the kids on that EP wall it’s totally free you can come and try it if you are in shamony and you are inspired by the athletes on the [Music] wall and that is the uh head wall on this is long and there’s a lot of climbing up there yeah and in in in kind of classic shaman style the the headwood it’s not just straight up there’s a little bit of zigzag you’re going to Traverse over to left a little bit come back right and then finish out left just add some more moves onto that head W she’s cruising through that move Paul je meanwhile is underway for the men he had a very tense qualifier in Budapest where he didn’t make finals but he was in for a shout and just had to watch his teammates basically compete for his place he couldn’t do anything about it apart from watch yeah that’s right I mean I I I can’t even imagine what that must have felt like to yeah to have to watch MD and Sam and really their performance was going to be the the determiner of whether he goes to to the Paris Olympics and yeah he he is a Paris 2024 qualified athlete um yeah like just last few years has been consistently I would say right up there in in lead and Boulder yeah um just want just want to S point out quickly while she’s still that double heels on the left that position you know we talk a lot about height in climbing that’s one of the moments where being a little bit shorter can actually be helpful yeah definitely I I think natsuki is the the first go we’ve seen put in the the double heel which is interesting she’s actually looking very very comfortable right now through this section Paul falls on the campus that’s interesting unexpected I think that well we stick with that Suki Tani [Applause] here oh I just seem to very quickly run out steam there yeah now trying that that high left heel and just did not have enough height at all to hit that hold I think the way the way Flora did it just taking the cut loose is probably going to be uh the best way to do that move but I mean it’s super committing uh and and super super powerful especially at this stage on a on a lead route absolutely well Flora’s run looking better and better now she climbed early on but I think she’s still on the top yeah she is still the top spot with 38 35 Plus is Len genen and those are the paragliders I was talking about thank you camera team brevant behind that Cliff with some iconic Rock climbs multi-pitch roots on it and a perfect day for flying and I think the the paragliders are taking their moment to watch a bit of World Cup action from the air which is pretty cool yeah they’re certainly flying closer and closer to the wall it seems you can come and do a tandem flight right Max Berton gets a big reaction brother of orian Bon orian not here this weekend but Max you know he hasn’t competed that much he was a bit of a young Prodigy coming through from The Reunion Island did some really hard Boulders when he was younger and and now sort of starting to make his indent on the uh senior circuit here yeah he’s a name that’s been I’d say quite well known the last few years as just a super super talented young uh yeah young Prodigy as you said had a lot of success on the youth circuit I even remember watching him in the lead back in 2022 in the youth World Champs in Dallas when I was competing just I mean the the roots would just look far too easy for him to be honest he was just absolutely in his element and just so confident as well uh and yeah obviously younger brother of orian baton so that the Baton family just supremely talented ex if you had sort of think about people for La I think Max might be in the conversation for that one and on his left his teammates in a PL from France a name that both of us uh we had to sort of look up and find out about because uh again coming through here she’s been competing for a while but uh inbrook 37th but not many comps only two this year and one of them are Europeans the second World Cup would be it yeah I think she’s re I reckon she’s one of those climbers that probably has just got a little bit lost in the in the shuffle with just so many strong French female climbers uh in the last few years I mean the depth in the the French team is just absolutely incredible I’d say Japanese and and and French team are probably the the two teams that stand out when you just talk about the Shar depth and the the quantity of world class athletes that they have and uh and yeah I mean she she made a world cup debut in 2020 so she’s got about four years of experience but obviously not a ton of World Cups in those four years so it’ll be it’ll be super interesting to see how she does today yeah and coming through on our home World Cup here in France ma Bon meanwhile cruising currently see how he does the campus moves you saw Paul je his teammate full just now but Ma’s looking pretty relaxed up there he’ll know what’s to come though those crimps not terrible crimps and look at the power from Max on that first Lo lock off he looked like he barely needed to try I love that super cruy if I was in a gym those campy moves are like something I love to do I think a lot of climbers will see that sequence and think yes I’ll have a bit of that [Music] definitely well Max now reverses down he rests on that crimp let’s keep an eye on Ina on the left she falls missed the kick didn’t a lot of people have done that kick the wall rather than the jib below and then adjusted onto it but she just didn’t seem comfortable with that kick and you can see how disappointed she is in that and it’s worth remembering with some of these athletes especially French athletes you know as you said they are fighting for places within the team you know and a semi-final performance like that you know it’s he going to struggle no I mean it it’s super tough I mean they’ve the French athletes are really under a lot of pressure to to perform on the World Cup stage uh even with the the perhaps few opportunities that they get because of the quantity of of World Cup climbers they’ve got in that team and if you don’t lay down some really really top performances you might not get those opportunities again in the future so yeah I mean it’s super super tough yeah comp climbing really come on in recent years it’s brutal now so max M meanwhile cruise through the bottom has rested well and looks still fresh to me I’d say probably looks the most comfortable out of all our all our climbers at this point so far but this is a tricky move you got to unwind and kick the left foot you can see the jib just by his T-shirt now blocked by his arm that’s where he’s got to get a foot in a minute let’s see if he can get that left foot over or if he’s going to oh no I think he just rested a bit too long there yeah I think he really needed to get that left foot over I think he reckoned he could just pull through with the feet where they were but a that next hole as you can see is just so so poor it’s a real shame cuz I actually think he looked quite comfortable I don’t think he’s come off pump there I think he just kind of a little bit of a misread there just a powerful move but that’s how it goes I inan still second ever World Cup semifinal for him second ever World Cup and second ever World Cup semi fun for him so incredibly bright future uh for him absolutely one to watch well another French athlete camil pu is underway for the women Max leaves the stage this women’s route certainly uh problematic in the middle section I think it starts here really these crimps you can see above they look good from this angle they’re not and they’re kind of blind as well the athletes being pushed away from the wall you can’t see it big move out cracks the heel in and she’ll Rock up on that heel but watch the release Here dragging this toe down I think you can do it without putting that left foot on but it’s so much more powerful just had the reach on the slopers there that makes the adjustment Sasha lman is on I interviewed him yesterday as part of a little series we’re doing about questions for Olympians and you could just tell how excited he was to be part of that group you know I remember him in Moscow years ago he failed to qualify and it was uh you know you can see how much it meant to him and to qualify the other day was huge yeah I was so happy to see him qualify uh the the recent oqs series as you said I I still remember actually watching that that Moscow European uh Olympic qualifier event back in 2020 and he was uh yeah came second to Alexi rup of it was uh and just B him in the finest of margins just just left him out of Tokyo and he just looked absolutely gutted I remember feeling so so sorry for him so it’s yeah it’s amazing to to see him now uh qualified for Paris and yeah I’m super excited to see how he does today does um today cuz obviously lead is very much his game uh he’s won a couple of lead World Cups actually in his career and so uh yeah I think uh definitely a strong Contender for FS tonight yeah let’s see if Sasha can put it together Camila P meanwhile is higher she started climbing earlier on Sasha Cuts loose there for a sec that was powerful with the shoulders so Kima Works her way through that left foot high on the wall and a bit of a scream as she comes up onto the block primp good work with the hips as well good positioning but we know how hard this next sequence is has she got enough left to do this crossr eyes wide as she’s trying to take it in and a bit of a Grimace as she works that right hand into the pocket unwind releasing that left hand is so so powerful on that that two finger pocket well she looks more comfortable now as she comes in if she gets a hand down here she’ll be able to shake Sasha meanwhile entering the section where the crimps are looks like there’s a bit of an angle change on our shot but there’s not though it’s consistent throughout this middle part Sasha now approaching the camper section one of our shorter athletes I would say in the field so it’ll be interesting to see if his approach is any different to the others so far not so much just trying super super hard and trying to use the hips a little bit to get a little bit of Swing going through that that 360 campus but he’s looking he’s looking nice so far yeah easy through there for Sasha you have to try hard I think everyone’s going to make it look difficult because it is a hard sequence of moves but he is safely through and will rest on the high crimp Camila is still on the good hold here how’s that right [Music] healing comes up towards the crims and from here you’ve just got to keep going for the women really nice from Campbell it be interesting to see how she does this hard move up with the left hand here C Falls yeah just again it just comes quickly the pump on that Sasha has been here for a while resting on crims dropping back and forth and this is where experience comes in and knowing your own body you know it’s not maybe the position where you look at the wall think that’s the rest but if you can uh if you can do it it’s worth milking those moments yeah definitely and and after observing the root he’ll know that this is probably the last real opportunity to get some back before this really really powerful kruxy sequence so yeah as you say just using his experience and knowing that he needs to get that little bit of energy back before he he pulls through these these super super powerful crimpy moves now yeah and as a lot of people have done you hit these holes and you think ooh adjusts the hands so he hasn’t done this cross we’ve seen and that actually looked better yeah this is I I believe that’s the way Colin Duffy did it um just bumping the left hand I mean super powerful but making it work and looking good now getting onto this head wall yeah flicking with the hands to micro Shake here still looking okay breathing heavy though as he gets those fingertips into the crimp Sasha quite a shoulder climber he likes shoulder moves and that rest would have suited him but this is close for Sasha he’s one move away here yeah he does fall he could see it’s starting to come undone for him but not a bad score let put him in second place just underneath Colin [Applause] Duffy we’re looking for our eight athletes to move through things will change throughout as we approaching the first of the cleaning breaks just two athletes to go now and another member of Team Slovenia Sarah Chopper look at that view that’s looking up towards our janer Lor in the background the furthest Hill you can see where there’s a ski area you can see the uh the mountains on the right hand side side the famous train that goes up to the murder glass glassier Sarah Chopper rocks up on that heel puts a left in and then drags the [Applause] toe s the East World Champ she’s another one who we’re sort of waiting to really fulfill that potential that we all know she’s got yeah another young Slovenian female clim another one that competed at the oqs series as well and uh yeah fought for a place at Paris 2024 uh super tough for some of these some of these nations with only the only the two spots of course having to really compete with uh her teammates as well and obviously in slovenia’s case it was MIA krle that got that that second spot um at the oq obviously y claiming the the first spot back in Burn last year yeah y still I think the Olympic favorite it’s got to be said but there are some big names coming for her so Sarah this is the move that can go wrong she’s got to kick out you ideally want to hit the jib but not many have that’s the thumb that’s pressing keeping her on the wall that jib she’s eyeing up the foot goes for the Big Stretch hits the wall smearing smearing with the feet and a wide stance from Sara she shakes out meanwhile underwe for the men Kum Quan up through SAR but in this stretched position now drops the feet in and big drop KN from SAR [Music] [Applause] [Music] here Quan makes the match puts the toe in and hips close to the wall he comes into this this is the part where Sasha really unleashed the shoulders just now and Quan only only 17 years old um so yeah one of the youngest climbers in the field and actually it’s interesting I I’ve noticed a lot of very young Korean lead and boulders coming through um this year and last year in the men’s and the women it’s been really really interesting to see they’ve obviously got some amazing young young talent that they they’re giving opportunities to at this this young stage which is yeah it’s awesome to see and they they’re having yeah success early on as well yes they are well we saw Sara Chopper fall there an early fall from her a bit of disappointment she looked good coming through but then all went wrong in the middle con gets that toe in adjust he’s looking for a kind of a knee scrub in there there’s not a knee bar to be had but you’re right about the Korean team I mean people like Doan Lee for example in the oqs was so impressive and we do return to Career last World Cup of the Season which feels like a long way away when you think about how many comps there are to go yeah it’ll be interesting to see actually with that that uh Soul World Cup in October how many of the uh Olympic athletes and if people look to try and finish their season and in their year sort of in the summer or if they they look to keep going until September October because obviously we got a couple of other events then as well um yeah it’ll just be interesting to see the fields and some of the names at those competitions yeah that’s in the future he drops back down to rest here stretches up again yeah it’s a big one in career as well it’s not just a boulder World Cup as we’ve seen before right so swings the feet over looking good at the moment these volumes can be used for your advantage you can see that left toe hook underneath locking him into position and there is oana McKenzie out on stage again she’s in this Olympic buildup stage look good in qual yeah o are uh oceanana Continental champion of course in leaden Boulder uh Paris 2024 Olympic qualified also a Tokyo 2020 Olympian on Falls there and yeah you you would say with oana probably more of a boulderer uh with a a couple of of Boulder World Cup finals behind her um but also lots and lots of success lots of semi-finals in the lead discipline and yeah really showing a class yesterday in qualification yeah and young too I always forget she’s only 22 when you talk to her she’s so mature with the way she approaches climbing and life and travel and look at that stretch position there that’s so powerful it’s deceptively powerful to do that she actually hasn’t she hasn’t uh opted to put her right foot on the the little jib either she’s just put her foot flat on the volume and just yeah using that flexibility massively yeah I wonder if the heel was just pressing in yeah that was smart climbing from H and I think the power came from the accuracy of that foot placement now she locked here you can see the leaderboard on the right Flora still Leading The Way with 38 down to the danger at the moment is ma Nakamura on 22 plus but that now changes Z McKenzie comes into the eighth spot pushing ma outside expect things to change as we near the halfway point up towards the block crims from oh this is powerful Stu this is good climbing from her [Music] but this sequence is such a sounds strange but such a lead climbing sequence you know it’s just a classic cross through to a pocket unwind definely all the sort of Rose moves small little moves you know crimpy hold little opportunities to get a bit back but nothing you know crazy other than of course when we get to this next blocked off hold where we have seen athletes take a little bit of time it’s interesting how although they’ve spent time there and it looks like a good hold few have managed to move forward from that so it’s probably not not the best rest yeah we’ve seen athletes sort of take 30 to to 40 seconds of rest with the with the heel Hooks and then I think just that next section is is just so so powerful that even if you’ve got quite a bit back it it’s still very very barely yeah let’s see if she can recover then she would have been training hard for lead of course part of the combined Bold And Lead discipline for Paris speed getting its own discipline which is obviously much preferred and what we were all hoping for o rocks up those elbows are coming out somehow she holds that right hand Big Boost to the SL still in I thought she coming up to this really really hard left hand move now and and she does for I tell you what that was impressive stuff I have to say that effort from Flora earlier is looking more and more impressive as this round goes on that’s really looking like a finals bed there but yeah super impressive as well for Moana there that will do her wonders in terms of her mental game for Paris saton yosida who has been doing a lot of bouldering recently considering he’s more of a lead specialist was impressive in inbrook yes satony is a lead World Cup medalist actually from Brien s last year he picked up a bronze and um yeah he’s made a lot of finals obviously tons and tons of semi-finals so he’s regularly been right at the top in terms of the the lead well cups and as he say done done quite a few Boulder cups also this year which is interesting and and had lots of success there too making semi-finals there so it’ll be cool to see how he how that translates over today in in the shamon yes he’s been looking like a real Contender for sort of a combined format in the future here but a lot of athletes to get through in that Japanese team let’s see how powerful he’s feeling on these crimps then you can hear the audience they know what’s coming they’re really enjoying the secrets wow looking super super comfortable on those now boost up with the right hand locks it off thumb wrapped over the fingers and at the moment in total cruise control down [Music] low they’re pretty good those crimps you know I’ve seen a lot nastier I think yeah relatively speaking they’re probably about as good as it gets at this uh this level in in a Le World Cup semi-final for these guys is a pretty solid HS for most climbers in a you know in it’s just a commercial gym still not great no absolutely and look at those stats there from second from third sorry down to eth everyone falling around the 32 Mark obviously the stopper move for the men there just before the head so turny resting for a long time on these crimps and then starting to power forward from here although a little bit of a hesitation with the feet flicked right and then went left to make the [Music] clip keeping the feet really low for that move and taking the cut loose opting to cross over o he’s done this a few times kind of gone back and forth which doesn’t necessarily mean he’s in trouble but you obviously want to be oh this is a big moment though he tried to go for the big swing out left yeah he appears to be a very methodical climber just taking very kind of slow pragmatic approach but strugling to get that left foot over and he’s yeah just it it’s a bit far to flick your feet that I think he needed to do some hand movement so you can see annoyance from him just misread that sequence he’s so frustrated on the ground right natsumi OD is underway for the women last women out female out before the cleaning break and we’re going to have a chat with the IFC president who’s actually waiting in the wings here who will be discussing well you’ll see in a minute all things presidential I guess so Oda moves the feet up has a look around the corner there for the next block crimp finds it and reaches up for the clips here so the men’s route is done there’ll be a cleaning break there for the men we’ll stick with uh natsumi Oda for the meantime and this is natsumi’s third ever World Cup uh she made a debut last year in wuang and she actually made the final interestingly on her World Cup debut only 16 years old so just yet another super super talented young Japanese athlete as if they don’t already have enough I know it’s just unreal I mean there are times when you know the Japanese have kind of brought their B team and I say that with quotation marks because as you said they often make semi-finals and finals yeah the competition just to get into that Squad is huge it it is amazing that they it seems like they they have sort of 15 or 20 climbers in in each discipline that could contend for finals it’s yeah it’s unreal well Oda rests now her teammate Mi naaka who has now qualified for the Olympics she’s not here big boost up towards the crims this is good work we know what’s coming this crossr move that pocket beckoning up with the left hand shakes out now still very composed you can you know pump brain is a thing but her footwork there was brilliant and look at this smooth on the swing [Music] over thought about the high clip there I’m glad she didn’t do it I think would have cost a lot of energy to stretch that [Music] high and now she will drop that down and rest here on those cheetah holds in the middle of the wall gets a tow hook in that’s a good position yeah that’s something we haven’t really seen actually most people have just um just whacked the the right heel on but yeah opting for the toe which is interesting yeah pushing with the left foot hooking with the right looks awkward but it is not a bad position that she now changes it to the heel to adjust the hands move to the left a little flick before she continues and not resting as long there as we saw the previous climbers which is interesting but looking pretty comfortable I would say right now and this is that really really tough left hand move oh and she does fall well I think she was starting to burn out that’s why she moves on now uh Joshua you’re going to go away for a bit have a rest uh get a drink of water we’re going to bring the IFC president into the commentary box uh to have a little chat about many many things so Josh let see you in a bit so the cleaning break will continue and we will have a look at the results while Marco comes and gets himself set up so Sasha layman in the top spot 35 Plus joined by Colin Duffy on the same score count back meaning Sasha goes up and then as we go down the list teas Vandy Crest in eighth position 32 good position from him in the danger Z though of course Jules marshan is now pushed outside as we go down the list Paul je and Jesse grouper falling fairly low in the same spot on those crimps right I’m going to bring in a very special guest right now because in the commentary box we have Mark scholaris IFC president so Marco first of all uh how are you enjoying the shamon World Cup here this morning but first of all good morning Matt hello everybody yes it’s the perfect stage for for our world cup and you know we have the moon blank and we have uh Pleasant temperatures and yeah everything is going well at the same time we cannot ignore the fact that if you see the GLA you have been here in the last 30 years they they didn’t disapp they haven’t disappeared yet but the the mass of ice is reducing every year it’s it’s really matter of concern I would say it’s interesting you talk about that I mean because we don’t talk about sustainability that much within the IC I mean obviously you are a mountaineer yourself is that something that does concern you and that you have your attention on for the ifsc yeah this is a good question because it is a matter of discussion exactly exactly in these days and uh um recently we created a task force in the in the FC in order to to address this topic also we we prepare document that has approve been approved unanimously by the board uh last week and um will be sent to all the Federation and basically we we follow the um sustainable development goals of the of the United Nations and we extrapolated five goals that are achievable for us of course we cannot fight against poverty but we can we can uh we can work on uh to to decrease the the impact on climate and uh and other and other topics so yes uh however I must say that uh um of course we had uh I cannot say other priority because this is a pure priority for all human beings we are human beings it’s uh we had other priority we had to to to to really focus on other things including the inclusion in in the Paro Olympic Games and I think now time has come to to to to to tell people what we are doing for example in the office nobody’s coming with a private car yes so you know we obviously know we travel around the world but we’re trying as much as possible to reduce that impact we we we do it we do it and even even I mean myself I I book my flights myself and they choose the aircraft I’m flying with because there are different different between an aircraft and another you mentioned La there and Par climbing especially you made the the announcement in inbrook congratulations because a lot of people I think thought look you know we’re in La for Able Body climbing surely par climbing will just slide in but it took a lot of work didn’t it to get it there absolutely it was as difficult as for the for the Olympic Games or maybe even more difficult especially the last the last leg of this of this uh of this operation and um yeah but we we we really badly wanted it why because this is one world and if you go to a gym you go to a Craig you climb together Men We women Elder people young people kids whoever and also climbers with a disability and climbers without a disability you know or with a different ability because this is the definition I really like well we cannot wait to see our par climbers compete in that I wanted to you know ask you a bit about yourself because when we say ifsc President we see you on stage handing out the medals but just tell me a little bit about more about your job you know what is your role within the ifsc well I had to change my life somehow especially in the last few years I was uh I’ve been a photographer and journalist sport journalist and a photographer Mountain photographers for for many years but then the commitment in the IC grew grew and grew and uh and I had to to to work for the FC full-time well the the the the job of the president well we move from a president who was doing everything uh uh including teaching judges including uh you know printing the regulation and send them to the National Federation to a more structured organization the FC today so a more I you say usual usual um operation is that the president is representing the FC everywhere and made this port known because the main the the big issue is still to make people understand what we are talking about no I I I can mention example we had this uh Olympic qualifi series event in Budapest and there was a president of quite a big National Olympic Committee who had never seen climbing and even before the competition he approached the wall the lead wall and you say incredible it’s impossible is impossible that you climb there said well it’s possible please stay with us and you will see so it’s interesting you say that so you know we’ve seen it in terms of the growth of the sports and more and more people coming into it you took this organization from a really basic starting position yeah we were on Rock we were you know the rules weren’t there and you’ve grown it into this just tell me about that transition that change over the years yeah I mean I had um I have the privilege to to to to be uh one of those who really started the game H because we started we began thought thinking of having climbing competition in 1984 in in Italy we had some uh competitions in the um Soviet Union it was mainly speed but then the first time we started talking about uh uh what you call lead the whole difficulty at that moment was it was 84 and we were quite reluctant I was uh our community in Torino City where I live not everybody agrees including me I say wow we are yeah freethinking we are you know we are we were uh a little associal well why should we have competitions I mean who cares and eventually we decided to to to to do it because I said well uh someone will come and maybe he or she will not be a climber so better to have climbers managing this and then then yes immediately the first competition were on Rock but uh quite soon we realized that it could not go any further because you had we had to modify Rock in order to accommodate this competition and also the it was quite popular we had the the the event in 85 in 86 in bardona which is an Olympic City uh close close to Torino and the the 6 we had 10,000 Spectators so imagine well actually what the the the the the the city the town was was quite clever they they really closed the the valy and the access was only on on public transportation and then therefore we calculated the The Spectator was 10,000 people and then again we saw the impact on the environment you have you know in a in a in a month in a mountain small narrow mountain valley uh 10,000 people then even the most most educated people they leave some tra huh yeah and not only that so uh in the early ’90s we we move on uh on uh what we called artificial but I don’t like the name artificial is climbing uh climbing infrastructure climbing world and uh and so on and then at that time we were we were together with the Mountaineer we were with the UA the international mountaineering organization but the sport was growing growing growing we had some frictions and we tried to to leave together but eventually the moner asked us to leave uh they said uh better you leave and we did it we did it in 2007 we created our own organization in Frankfurt in on the 27th of January 50 more than 50 federations uh um asked for membership in this organization and then where we started but from the very beginning in that founding uh the the foundation meeting I asked at the national Federation should we show interest in being the Olympic games because I didn’t want maybe it could have been my dream but I mean it should have been everybody’s dream otherwise I’m quite Democratic or try to be you are the president youve got to keep a lot of parties happy yeah and it was interesting because everybody was say yes yes yes yeah there was only one who didn’t um who didn’t have the he said the mandate to vote so he left the room so unanimously the group said yes yes we want to show interest to be in the in then the second question was do you know what it means and everybody said yes of course I I think nobody nobody knew it including me MH and and that amount of work I mean and obviously it’s a work in process and we’re coming to the end here of these cleaning break but before we finish because obviously at the beginning we had few medals given to us we combined all the sports was the plan always to grow to a point where we’d be able to give individual disciplines to the individual genres of the sport well um my thought and my my my forecast in 20 2007 was we will be in the Olympic because the third question was when and it appear realistic to me to be in the Olympics in 20 years so 2007 2027 and in fact this is what is happening because we are program sport in Los Angeles uh while we are additional sport in Paris then circumstances helped to get into the games to the games earlier but circumstanc was so special that we had to accept the compromise that the compromise was H we give you we appreciate the sport compromise with the ioc international Olympic Committee we appreciate the sport we love the sport we want to invest on the sport but you will get only one medal in your first appearance and and then we negotiated uh and eventually we all agree that all the three disciplines deserve attention and therefore we combine uh the three disciplin it was really painful for many climbers if not all of them but uh we were not really good in explaining this process and so there was I mean the the opposition maybe was stronger than needed uh but it was perfectly understandable that uh but then then immediately four years later we have already the the combined Boulder and Lead that uh that uh well still still might be a problem but but it works better than than in Paris but but the fact that we were together in uh in uh we put them together in Tokyo all three people who went there said well no they cannot stay together especially speed speed is completely different so it generated a general opinion that helped to move into the two medals then of course the goal is to have the three medals in Los Angeles uh let’s see we are working on it we will know in Spring of next year well Marco thank you so so much for joining me here today and it’s been fascinating hearing your very Frank insights into the ifsc and the organization we do have a longer interview coming with Marco on a future series of videos that will be coming out in Paris but Marco for now I’m going to say goodbye to you thank you for joining me and good luck for the future thank you thank you Matt and uh bye-bye to everybody and enjoy the competition in this beautiful shamoni thank you Marco see you soon see you soon well while we were talking our athletes are back underway the cleaning break down Gamo on the right hand side from Spain Liv egi on the left from Switzerland Joshua will come and join me here as we move into the second half of our lead finals the roots are cleaned to make sure that the conditions are similar for all the athletes we can’t have it exactly the same but uh the cleaning break does help and Josh you’re joining us back here in the commentary box had a good break did you uh suck in some of the atmosphere here in the in the arena yeah it did we just had some uh some very cool music actually playing the uh the MC getting the crowd sucked obviously always a little bit tricky I bet in the the cleaning breaks obvious see 10 minutes or so for the crowd just to kind of compose themselves the MC’s got to keep everyone entertained so but yeah really really good vibes and actually we’ve the crowd has just kept growing throughout the semi-final rounds which has been really really cool to see and we actually got a really really nice crowd for what is a morning semi-final round which you wouldn’t necessarily expect the biggest crowd not like with the evening we got a really nice turnout this morning which is yeah super to see yeah it is great well things deep underway here in the semi-finals Liv igly Cuts loose for a sec gets the hands back engaged and GMO on the right hand side is having a bit of a breakout couple of comps here did really well in inbrook he launches right into the crimp to see if he’s feeling powerful yeah so GMA has had a incredibly successful youth career with a lot of success in the European youth cup circuit uh only 18 years old so very very young still and yeah just done a few World Cups um last year live fall sorry to interrupt you Liv falls on the undercling an early slip from her as she comes down yes sorry you were saying about G so great youth circuit yeah so lots and lots of uh medals on the youth circuit and now transitioning over to the the adult scene and uh doing so with ease uh which is yeah to see and um Spain with you know outside of Alberto probably haven’t seen so many in the in the lead and Boulder in the last few years so it’s it’s super super cool to see now the young Spanish talent coming through and uh I mean you definitely have to say an early bid for for la28 would be this young man right here and he’s climbing incredibly right now getting through that really really tough move and onto the the head wall yeah that foot plot was great but then he pings off what a climb from gameo there never looked tired maybe didn’t rest enough he was so quick through that R he absolutely shot up that yeah uh just didn’t didn’t rest just climbed fearlessly with so much confidence which is amazing to see from such a young uh relatively inexperienced climber and yeah I think that’ll put him yeah just third behind Sash and Colin uh just off third climber to get through that really really tough move uh and then onto the head wall and it’s a bit of a shame it looked like his left foot just popped there I think he had more reses actually I think he could have probably got us a new high point if he if it wasn’t for the the foot slip I would agree well Anastasia kobitz is underway from Ukraine had a brilliant qualifying round so good to see her at this stage her teammate at Nik Bova I think he’s going to be joining me for commentary tonight that was the plan anyway haven’t actually seen Nika this morning but I presume that’s it and yeah this young lady a really impressive qualifying run and good to see her so high up the order yeah this is her first lead World Cup semi-final actually and she did it with ease qualifying very very high actually so be really interesting to see how she goes today another one with lots and lots of success on the youth circuit still a very uh young climber and 18 years old as well so uh yeah just another one making that transition you would say over to the the adult scene yeah she chopped out the second women’s route yesterday for sure she’s uh punching here not above her weight because obviously so talented but as you say first semi-final and the pressure really ramps up at this point so anything she can do here would be incredible cracks in a heel this sequence of move we’ve seen a couple of early slips here live just falling out of that undercling not having the feet in the right position it’s a deceptively techy move this actually yeah flicking this right foot out and also requiring quite a lot of flexibility if you’re going to keep that left foot on that volume there which we’ve seen a yeah there Anastasia just opting to leave that left foot over and uh and flick the right foot and actually making it look quite quite cruy we’ll see if she gets a little bit of a rest here and tries to recover before this pretty pretty tough section coming up here yeah pressing with that left arm underneath gets the pinch in and you got to drop all the weight into that right hand having to fight she’s fiddling with the thumb wants to match it that’s not the way but she makes it work it’s very interesting to see her not really use that that right that jib for her F surprising I’m I’m not quite sure I mean maybe just to make a bit of space for that that match which was heinous but I mean making it work so I thought she was definitely gone there goodby right Philip shank from Italy is going on the right powerful clim love that camper sequence if he gets there siia resting meanwhile here on the slopers creeps up gains a little bit of height as our drone pans up the wall Phillips one of those climbers it feels like has been on the circuit for a very very long time and just consistently in and around those semifinals finals he’s he’s made a World Cup final and he was also another one that competed at the O oqs uh recently narrowly missed out on Olympic qualification unfortunately but he looked a bit confused as he dropped down there Anastasia falls in the background meanwhile yeah Philip had a bit of a moment there on that drop down when he caught the right hand yeah similarly to some of the other climbers just that sequence just posing some some early issues and and the clip as well looks at really really I think tension clip to get in cuz you haven’t got a lot of feet and you’ve really got to make sure that that that right foot there when you got the the left hand sloper just stays it’s an incredibly tensioning move I mean these guys work their their core a lot right as lead and boulderers but I think to most to most average climbers oh that clip is just really really desperate to get him agreed well he launches over just didn’t really get his left finger no that left hand really let him down he just didn’t get enough fingers on didn’t catch it quite properly with the with the left hand you can see as soon as he hit it he was just up against it and and fighting pretty hard yeah no adjustments really to be made with no feet once you’ve hit it that’s it okay another done Tona TOA is on rereading the rout it has been quite a while since some of these athletes saw it obviously the ones coming out last they’ve got the longest to wait and try to remember she will approach the wall now definitely one of our shorter athletes and actually I think on this route it might be a bit of an advantage we’ll have to see though she’s underway that uh beay there’re spotting her because until you get that clip in there is obviously a danger of hitting the ground so the spotter just make sure they can sort of help guide the athlete down safely she’s all good now with two clips in brings that right foot up into the pocket rocks through and this is this slightly blind slightly awkward section I was talking about it’s not like often in in lead routs we get oh to foot there as well so not an ideal start yeah it looks like the root Setters have just given like two very slight chalk marks there just to indicate where the holds are but as you say I reckon when you’re coming from that you won’t be able to see those two crimps um that she’s just got a heal on there when you’re going up to them so quite quite unnerving especially so early down for sure I’d agree and I think she does look a bit unnerved she she heel hooked her own fingers for a second as well well and had to readjust on that one so yeah it’s these moments that can really play in your head as an athlete you know you obviously want it to go smoothly down low and just get on with it but that was a tricky start for her I used to find back in my lead days how I did in a route a lot of it was actually dictated by just the flow I found right at the start in those first few Clips if I climbed with a lot of fluidity you know felt smooth felt confident then often that was going to translate Rel to me just having a really really good performance and and climbing to my Max but if I felt really shaky really tense got a bit stuck or a bit rattled early often I would just stiffen up and yeah I mean listen a lot of these guys super experienced and they’re able to even if they have little hiccups early on can just fight through it and uh and find that fluidity later on in the route but for me it was super challenging um and mentally that was super tough if I had any real kind of little slip or little root reading issue early on oh now I said height might help and I was more talking about earlier on later on because that was a tricky move she just wasn’t in the quite right position because she shorter that kick over to the right was so much further and ever so slightly misjudged the distance there Luca POA has a toe in on the right that was really unfortunate for Tona there and I think it did unsettle her you know she couldn’t quite reset so we’ll stick with LCA here as he comes up into the blocked Crim works his fingers in and Luca recently qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics at the the oqs series our only uh Slovenian male athlete to qualify for Paris which is obviously amazing to see and he is a World Cup lead winner he’s been super consistently one of the best lead world climers in the world I would say in the last um two three years and and I think yeah if I was a Gambling Man I’d definitely put some money on him being in the finals tonight cuz yeah just um I would say more of a lead specialist is Luca but it’s been super impressive uh just how yeah consistent he’s been with semi-finals finals getting some podiums uh in the last and still pretty young as well young athlete too so yeah one for the future of Slovenian climbing he hasn’t got this clip in yet matches on the SL now and he almost messed up the crimp sequence down low such a big swing and this is a bit awkward as well as he goes back onto the crimp for the left foot stretches out right and locks those shoulders now resting as he wiggles the fingers back in Leaderboard on the right Sasha Layman still Leading The Way with 35 Plus and Colin on the same score down at e now is mashi huchi Luca though yeah fools needed to flick that right left foot up couldn’t get it didn’t look comfortable and he goes round about that 32 Mark as well yeah it’s the same for him just as well getting quite confused there in that section not finding the right feet to really transfer the weight over and and make that that really really powerful left hand move all right Annie Sanders is underway from the USA one of three women to compete here the only one to make it through to semi-finals and Annie really for the first time got on the podium in inbrook and you feel like that might have just unlocked the door for her she’s another very young athlete and uh I’m excited to see what is in her future yeah super young athlete absolutely tore up the U scene in her first couple of years competing International and now has obviously transitioned over last year into the the World Cups The Adult World Cups and yeah has looked just in her element really from from the start and uh s she’s such an impressive athlete to watch train actually I managed to to watch her train a little bit in Dallas actually while I was out there in April and May just ahead of the the Salt Lake World Cup and um just the the work ethic on display was so so impressive watching a just do a lead session there uh they W in Plano and the endurance and just yeah uh the termination was super super impressive yeah I remember watching her in Salt Lake somewhere in I think it was momentum gym in Salt Lake and she was just doing all of the boulders and her mom was sort of like drove her there and was waiting and you could tell it’s like Annie won’t be finished until every Boulder in the room is ticked she loves endurance climbs and she’s so good at resting and we can see this here with double toes in that’s a smart position and now makes the adjustment very confident with her movements oh yuza is on a legend as well as he gets underway for the men our split screen showing both athletes at the same time here and our World Cup winner from 2022 in Jakarta and yeah many many finals a couple of podiums and still only 21 years old so still very very young yes he is big Boosty move up with the left [Music] and Annie into this sequence you got to be careful here it’s easy to get this wrong she looks out does the splits move look at that flexibility she’s straight onto the jib with the right foot I think if you have that flexibility I mean she’s also nearly in that that middle splits almost like if you can do that it’s the best way but few have managed it I reckon it’s the best way in terms of being sort of conservative with your energy for sure is to do that flexibility uh method but it’s also very very limiting if you don’t have the flexibility for that it’s just not an option yeah exactly well she’s made it work very concise with her movements Al meanwhile is H swinging around quite wildly gets that oh tries to get the toe it’s not an easy tow hook that one you need a lot of tension and it’s kind of a move because you’re so low it feels almost unnecessary you know that youd need to do that that low yeah and you you basically just just putting it up to to get the clip in as well and it’s it’s very precarious for sure yeah the tension through that right leg required to to make that stick and then bring the hand in for for the clip is I think the the best meth definitely is just to swap the feet keep that right foot low like he did eventually uh and just hold the tension through there to get that clip in but yeah we we’ve seen almost every Climer just struggle a little bit uh on that quick draw well Annie crosses through now she’s onto the pockets a little bit of adjustment with the right hand Powers up towards the crimp she’s got to drop down in a minute gets the left foot in engages that left heel works the clip now uza meanwhile cruise through the crimps down low he’s in a resting position and Annie will look down to check the time this is where Annie’s endurance is going to come to the four here because this rest I think she’ll be able to get something back perhaps more than the other athletes yeah definitely all that training all those hours doing all the roots at play like I saw back a couple months of a m beang that’s all going to come to to fruition right now for sure look at this one point of Conta hanging on and Ching off confident that that is unreal Annie Sanders has really yeah gained that confidence from that medal from insbrook and we’re not really talking about Al here but he’s on the crutch move for the men as well this 32 hole that has caused so many problems needs to get the left foot in the right position can he get that foot over we haven’t really seen anyone land that left hand without getting the left foot over and so it’ll be interesting to see his approach here he’s going to go for the big swing hits the texture there’s a bit of no text there as well look at Annie as well on the right as she hits the sloper yeah with fall on foot yeah with more of foot pop but he was looking confused look at this from really good rocks up on the heel and she’s nearing the high point now and still got power she brought that right foot up into the sloper the crowd wake up in the background they get behind Annie Sanders here as she hits a high left toe can she release the left hand she’s in the top spot on 38 has the heel oh there we go oh yeah she’s still going creeps it through to the next pinch maybe oh onto the smallest of jibs that might even be a foothold as an intermediate she’s very stretched out though and eventually goes but 40 means she’s on the top spot I think she left absolutely everything out on the wall there that was super super impressive new high point on the woman’s route there I think it was an intermediate foot hole she used there just to get into the SL I don’t think the root set has put that there for the hand at all but she made it work and fair play to her so Annie Sanders done and dusted and that could be enough not many athletes to go now and Ty say hmet will be out next for the men that’s our crowd hats sunglasses out because the sun it was a cool morning I’ve got a jumper on right now but it’s starting to heat up here in shamony the wall protected from the Sun but the audience will need some sun cream here this morning the speed wall on the left has been stripped of climbing holds you don’t want to leave climbing holds in a climbing town so they removed those just to stop people deciding to have a climb but that was in action yesterday and what a competition that was well worth going back and seeing that tyi hmer on the right he pulls off the ground and gets climbing and Vita Lucan enters the curtain there on the bottom left of your screen both of which are lead World Cup winners Ty say actually won uh in vas in 2022 uh his first gold medal in in lead and he also won silver actually in 2022 in shamon so he has had a very very good time in Shaman in the past and as for Vita she won golden Bramson last year so both have had a lot of recent success in the lead discipline yeah very talented athletes these two V winning in yeah the BR on comp she’ll be looking forward to that one soon all right so Ty say hmer similar style to Jesse grouper in terms of endurance never seems to let go does this man Ty say another one of those lead specialist you would say Obviously still an incredible boulderer but definitely lead his preferred discipline which I think actually is kind of smart for the Japanese team because we heard from Marco the IFC president you know that the ideal would be three separate disciplines with medals for La so if you are on the Japanese team I think there’s nothing wrong with saying look I’m a lead climate this is what I do and I’m one of the best yeah and then and teams have got to start looking ahead now to La now that all the the Paris spots are confirmed and so yeah once Paris is is over and well just over A month’s time it is now onto the the next Olympic cycle which is LA and we presume we are going to get the split free disciplines so lead Specialists like Tay Like Jesse grouper and some of these athletes are definitely going to be smiling uh if that does happen yes agreed well Ty let’s see how endurance he’s feeling crosses through he’s got to unleash the feet that’s the big swing we’ve seen he’s in trouble here you know he’s standing on that b oh just enough to get in I think he’s the first athlete we’ve seen incorporate any feet whatsoever into that move but he has made it work and he’s he’s looking reasonably comfortable now V lcan meanwhile is through her early Crocs but in in a bit of trouble here as she comes out just makes that bit of a shake in that left arm she’ll be looking for a rest as well yeah shakes up and chalks here and makes the clip before committing to the slope but tiai gradually unleashes that left hand and look how low he is on this pinch most athletes be matching the higher part of that hold he goes low into a sort of reverse grip undercling and Vita sorts her feet out I’m not sure she’s entirely comfortable yet interesting to see if she’s got the power for this next move just fingertips on that c crimp TI oh quite get that left foot over either no and his eyes flick to the scoreboard well V does have the power to do the cross [Applause] through but a big move to come by before she’ll be able to rest forearms will be screaming here as she comes over and now she should be more comfortable crosses through drops down and should put a heel in and have a moment to shake here though no heel yet just those feet she’s think she’ll put it in in a sec once she’s shaking out one of the hands there she goes so she moves into the provisional finals place in eighth and I say this at every competition but remember if you’re watching at home that these are provisional results there are appeals that can come through afterwards so things might change they often don’t but just be aware of that so V with heels in as we’ve seen so often it’s just about this next section the real physical series of moves coming [Applause] up hits the crimp oh Chang it into an undering with that right hand that’s a new beater we haven’t seen before on this route G just a bit nicely definitely trying pretty hard now we’ll see what her approaches for this big left hand move up oh she slaps for it we’ll wait for that score to be adjusted but a wave goodbye and yes not much left there she comes back down to the ground her eyes go to the scoreboard as well there’s a giant uh screen that the athletes can’t see when they’re climbing but they can see when they come down to the ground so they do immediately check to see where they’re at so Vita done good climb from her to wait and see if that’s enough there is zento Mita who’s just begun his semi-final it’sit the sloper he’ll match this in a sec and yeah zento did a well he made his his World Cup debut in 2021 did a couple of World Cups then and then had a threeyear gap actually until he did his uh well his most recent World Cups in Wu Jang and inbrook which is interesting and I mean I think really that’s just got to be down to just the um the intensity of the Japanese you know selection and how many good climbers they’ve got it’s just so hard to get opportunities for you know for World Cups in in lead bold or whatever in some of these super super strong Nations and he’s only 20 years old so he made his his World Cup debut when he was yeah just uh yeah just 17 but obviously an incredibly talented young climber um but just goes to show just how competitive it is right for World Cup selection when obviously such a a talented climb on his results that he I mean he’s he’s made two World Cup finals in four World Cups he’s done 50% success rate in not bad yeah for for World Cup finals uh and yet he’s he’s only had the opportunity this is only his fifth World Cup ever um so yeah I mean that that really emphasizes just how yeah just the depth and how strong it is in in the Japanese team yeah so he is up towards the crims now zelia avazu from France is on the left part of the avazu family her brother qualifying for Paris right she crosses through such a powerful climber as well Boulder and Lead she does it all and look at zento just no issues on that campus part easily through for [Music] him drops back down as we’ve seen quite a few people do can actually see literally the finger marks left from the athletes before on the right there on the black volume they’ve been dragging those fingers down the hold yeah so amazing to that brother brother sister combination making uh Paris 2024 with all the incredible French athletes uh that there are for there to be two avus going to the Olympic Games is uh yeah incredible we’ seen it there’s a couple of emerging uh brother sister Duos in that French team obviously with the Baton and the avus the crowd did what I did there and gasp as she dropped into that splits move that is a that’s a big one to [Music] hold right little adjustments with her feet crosses through to the crimp actually zento is looking as comfortable as we’ve seen anyone really in this section here be verying to see his approach to this move now yeah he’s certainly not pumped but can he get it done get that left foot over you can see the problem it’s just too far to go off that right foot oh my goodness no that’s no way surely not he’s maybe fingers on the noex what is he holding on to no I mean that was a fo hold right I think there’s a tiny jib there to squeeze of your font but I don’t think there’s anything on the text no wow he almost made it work well zelia Abu is in cruise control so far nothing no fluster no issues so far quickly through gets in the lower [Applause] [Music] clip drops [Music] down that’s a good shot she is breathing hard but little nod to herself she knows that she’s doing well here it’s funny I found I used to kind of talk to myself quite a lot when I was LE climbing back in the day that that selft talk just kind of good positive affirmations going up that used to help me out quite a bit and I’m sure a lot of these athletes do the same yes there a few of them who do or write little messages on their shoes or hands to remind themselves see one with the left heel then as well to make that clip which was interesting and then drop back down to the right shaking out those hands right so she will reset here we’ll have a moment to pause seven athletes to go after [Music] her ailia still resting our on wall camera doing its work here she boosts up towards the slopers right business end now big moves to come hits the slopers there’s the head we no the foot pop no we’ve seen a few athletes just have that left foot pop as they go for that move and I mean it’s a powerful move enough without that left as soon as that left fo goes you feel like it’s I mean it’s really over to hold that swing after all that climbing would be so so tough right Jonas Elli is on the wall was good in the oqs and uh it’s great to see him here of the Swiss team which is really coming [Music] on Z razu gets a big goodbye from the crowd as she leaves the [Applause] stage and Jonas making this match on the sloper down low o bit of a problem there went for the uh went for the Rope drag up T when you clip I mean ideally when you clip you want it obviously to be kind of waist heigh is depending on the route because then you have to pull the rope up less but it’s different for World Cups have to click where you can and Jonas hot off his first ever World Cup Final in inbrook just two weeks ago so we’ll see if he can replicate that today in Shaman looked amazing obviously in qualification yesterday yes he did he was on fire qualified way up the order here we grabbed an interview with him as he came off the wall still breathing heavy yesterday in The Climbing Club which is now available on YouTube and can go and watch that but here as we’ve seen a few athletes just struggling a bit through this bottom part Mia krle meanwhile is on the wall down low highest qualifying Slovenian woman Jonas smooth after that hard slopy sequence which he’s just come through actually this early stage of the climb on the men’s route is surprised quite a lot of the athletes just of how strenuous it is especially in comparison to to yesterday where I’d say I mean the athletes look super cruy really for the first half or so particularly these athletes it really it wasn’t too bad it kind of eased in a bit more The Roots where today it it really has been kind of bouldering for the go for a lot of these guys I think about to say Jonas made a big mistake with that heel then it no one else has tried to do that you get what he was trying to do is Rock up on the heel but because of where the Rope is in the Quick Draw you can’t really do it and then he had to readjust go down and by that point he burns out and it’s funny because the way that next crimp is slanted it looks like you want to go up with the left hand and actually when I was observing it earlier I I thought probably athletes would go up with the left hand and then probably look to match it because it looks sort of long enough to the point where you can put both the hands on and so yeah just a slight misread there from Jonas but yeah I say you could totally understand what he was what he was trying to do there but unfortunately it just didn’t didn’t quite work out at this time no Mia krle walking her feet through there smearing on the wall again a bit different from we’ve seen some others do this and now pressing and now goes back to the splits Mia kampa one of our double Olympians obviously uh Tokyo 2020 Olympian and now uh recently qualified for Paris 2024 at the oqs series and a clim who again it feels like she’s been around for so so long she’s only 23 surprisingly it feels like she’s she’s been on the scene for so so long and just in so many finals and semi-finals yeah you’re absolutely right yeah she she’s a legend and experienced so it’s great to see her get in again and at the moment no issues but we know it’s really about the next section of this rou especially for the top 10 or so of these women down low isn’t really a problem it’s is next moves is all about she’ll shake before the cross though this whole section is just so well orchestrated I feel by the root Setters with sort of the Rose move into the pocket releasing that left hand that sort of drop down into that positive you know ledge on the volume it’s a lovely flowy SE Lely flow and fluidity to it all right she flicks over gets the toe in drops down opting not to clip just yet I imagine she’ll just clip it higher yeah it’s going to be a bit awkward though isn’t it she going have to to do it most of the girls have clipped off that that left hand CP just before she is one of the taller athletes I’d say in the field so perhaps it won’t be a problem just getting that clip a bit higher yeah well there it is above her head yeah she’s as a look at the clock just interesting see how she do it is going to do this yeah she’s going to have to rock on the hill we can see the knee and yeah that’s the problem it looks really far away doesn’t it she’s going to climb past there and hopefully find a spot later on yeah but she’s in some trouble here now makes we can see how awkward this is this is really going to cost her some energy here making this clip yeah she carries on she might just have to climb F there yeah but I don’t see a a point really here I don’t unless you can I mean there a long quick or maybe she can flick over the leg but I think it’s too low that’s a real shame for Mia cample yeah I mean she’s she might just have to climb all the way back down I don’t I don’t see that she’s going to be able to reach it with that right oh to reach is it yeah oh she will know that she’s in some trouble here so she backs down as you said down climbing this route can she sit on that heel enough to rock over she flicks it with the feet but then she’s got to do all those moves and then grab it whilst it’s still swinging and there’s not enough time to do that oh you can see how she just go on M get it in yes yes amazing wow she still might be okay here but that would have cost her so much energy she’s going to fall here no she’s going to be so frustrated with herself I mean what a fight to get that W amazing a real show of endurance there and just determination but yeah I think she’ll be she’ll be super disappointed with herself that she didn’t just clip it off that that left hand CRI when she had the chance yeah I think kind of a I think just sort of a mental error at the time I mean she was totally comfortable and capable of clipping it off that that crimp but I think she just kind of just sort of forgot about it for a moment got down into the drop down may maybe thought she could just clip high off the drop down and then got there and realized she couldn’t and then just didn’t really know what to do exactly well Stephan Elfie whilst we were talking about Mia has climbed through the bottom campus hasn’t made this clip yet we’ll get it in now Stephano second in the Italian national recently I was actually kind of surprised he’s climbing here but big move out left and he falls first down towards the crowd he’s all right yeah only surprise he’s climbing because you know we know how much of an outdoor focused climber he is and I think someone asked him you know what are you going to be in the summer and he just said flatanger yeah so yeah I think that he might might be making his way over to Norway at some point soon yeah I I think I figured he would finish his his season at oqs actually but I mean I I reckon just Lov Shaman I mean he must have I I I don’t know how many times he’s competed at Shaman in the last 10 12 years or so but yeah it’s I mean it’s amazing to see him here and see him uh back in lead semas as well yeah it is great well he’ll leave the stage for now in the background Matia poy is about to be underway and Stephano will leave a stage as we follow him to the edge and there is Matia now Matia was pretty incredible I joked with her in inbook she did two semi-finals with me and then made finals for lead and I said look you’re going to have to do qualifying commentary again cuz clearly it’s helping you but she’s it’s a again I think a bit of a confidence thing with her she just you know after after her results in inbrook she’s uh she’s full of it of course a lot of climbing ahead before we can counter in the finals we see the leaderboard on the right Matia I think another one who’ be very much h that La they do split the disciplines uh definitely more of a lead climber for sure one of the best lead climbers in the world undoubtedly uh twice but two time lead World Cup finalist and uh I think looked amazing in qualification yesterday so has every chance of getting back in the finals today I was very nervous about her left foot there it was just not standing on the noex but certainly pressing against it it’s a risky thing to do that and now quickly through the crimps as she we’ll hit the next section of wall here Adam Andre is out and about he’s climbing on the bottom I walked back into isolation the other day and he was lying on the floor uh eyes closed someone pushing down on his shoulders just loosening up those shoulders Adam has such a unique warm-up [Applause] routine yeah it’s amazing to see him in sham actually another one that I didn’t necessarily expect to to compete in Shaman obviously having done the the very kind of strenuous oqs series and now yeah I guess just again another one that loves Shaman loves competing in front of the crowd loves the atmosphere and uh has had a lot of success in Shaman um over many many years and yet just you know more comp practice ahead of Olympic Games I mean I guess the big difference between this Olympics and Tokyo was the fact that it was in Tokyo so that Bronson comp just before obviously in France jetl being a problem but there’s a lot of athletes in bonon as well um and I think it’s just the time difference the fact that they can as long as you don’t get injured you’re okay yeah mean I think I think most athletes now they’re just going to be in Europe until Paris and so yeah in terms of the time zones and everything it doesn’t really matter it really just comes down to whether they want to prioritize just just training uh for the last few weeks ahead of of Parisa they feel like it would be valuable to get some comp practice in um I myself mean I opted for some for some comp practice I’m also competing in Brien son and uh yeah just CU I mean first of all I love competing but second of all I think it is just valuable experience just to be on the World Cup stage ahead of Paris Mata posi didn’t rest very long there she’s still fighting through onto the slopers she’s actually looking really really good too she is isn’t she poy just so impressive but this is the move and no she does fall on it looks disappointed but we’ll have to see for the score on that that might be okay Adam Andre meanwhile is nearing the men’s trucks this move he’s a tall man maybe he can get those left that left foot over and he does look at that good flexibility from really good oh that’s a long way though over that lip of the head wall engages the knee he’s going to get that clip as well that’s super smart from Adam yeah this is good work from him could be a new High Point coming up here he’s close in third at the moment on 34 and looking fresh at the moment be really good to potentially get a bit of a look at this head wall on the men’s here oh his right foot not on very much Adam stands up and there that’s the moment you can see the body relax a little as the angle changes big new high point for Adam this is very much Uncharted Territory now he’s got to get that quick draw clipped and he’s oh tell what so so smart isn’t he so so smooth and he’s timed his training brilliantly crosses through the but he won’t care too much about that because that is he knows he’s in doesn’t he yeah he does high point for Adam he comes down a little roll of the tongue and yeah job done for Adam oh no time to rest though cuz Alexander doov is out and she’s another one just who’s you know struggled in recent years up and down but recently it seems to things have clicked for her yeah it’s interesting she really burst onto the scene in 2021 and she she won a medal actually in Shaman Bron medal um here 3 years ago and then yeah I think I think last year probably by her standards maybe a little bit of a Down year but then started the season incredibly this year with a yeah fifth place in a World Cup finals appearance in inbrook so and then looked obviously fantastic yesterday yeah there she is on these blue volumes and she also competed in the oqs series and definitely one to watch out for in especially if they do separate the lead and Boulder cuz lead definitely her preferred discipline yeah she’s got this style everyone talks about the uh slightly nerve-wracking style when we watch her which is fantastic she super Fearless when she climbs it’s it’s really really cool to see it is very kind of it’s a stressful watch but yeah it’s also yeah super super fun to watch and super impressive Mattia poy and Flora there just sharing a moment just by our commentary box both of them realizing I think they’ve made it through and just absolutely ecstatic in front of us yeah they they literally look at their phones can’t believe it awesome moment Alexander ttk let’s see if she can join them as she unleashes that left hand swings around locks in a big heel toes pointed down towards the [Applause] [Music] ground crosses through oh this clip is awkward though she set it swinging but then couldn’t make the clip and I was going to say that Fearless what you were saying was such a good way of describing her style actually because uh she just goes for it regardless of the consequences sometimes doesn’t always work but when it does it’s fantastic to see yeah and I think her style is is maybe why she’s been her her kind of results have been there’s quite a big standard deviation um because she is just very she climbs with just no fear uh doesn’t really take into account the risk or like most people when they’re lead world C you know semifinal stressed out you know maybe a bit tense and she just like Cuts loose you know finds that flow I I love watching ear Le I’m definitely one of my favorite League climbers to watch for sure agreed it’s always exciting with her Alberto HZ Lopez is going on the right and just an injury update from him CU he decided to pull out of inbrook because of I think it was a toe injury but it was more of a preventative measure and totally understandable man’s got another Olympics coming up but he is back here and ites doesn’t look like that toe is causing him any problems anymore Alexander just got that right hand crimp there almost slid off [Music] it she’s squatting on that blue volume quite an awkward position to be in Alberto as we’ve seen a lot of men do just having to figure out this sequence here it’s really low and quite unsettling Alberto most recently looked so so impressive in the oqs events in Budapest and in Shanghai and of course the Olympic gold medalist as everyone knows and so it’s going to be amazing to see him back on the Olympic stage in a few weeks time in Paris yes it is well he crosses through he’s through the bottom Crocs makes the clips Alexander screaming here she just locks off that CRI shakes out the right hand but elbows are starting to go up she’s definitely fighting now can she find that cross through move here oh not on that attempt she can’t she’s going to have to go down and reset here needs something back on that left arm she can’t get the power leaning back he’s very relaxed I think he’s through the crimps now yeah Alexander does find something for that left arm oh still on Alberta with feet very very low now brings them up Alberta actually looking very very comfortable so far in this route Alexander our mic’s on the wall there are microphones there you can hear every move she’s making at the moment and now hopefully she’ll be able to recover something here oh power screamed away into the rest as well Alberta just finds that left foot and he’s going to make that clip too that’s a sign that he’s looking pretty cruy so far I’m so impressed with Alberto at the moment I really am like he has founded another another level yeah this season he’s just turned on a a different gear I think yeah ahead of the Olympic Games and actually I remember that European Olympic qualifying Laval even last aut to me just look so so impressive well he’s on the head on this was where Adam got a few moves higher he hit the crimps how B we could be looking at a new high point right here to still screaming away through the moves oh every move is a battle Alberta just hit a new high point oh left pings and Alexander goes eventually but what a fight from her just nothing she’s got nothing left that’s it done it’ll be actually interesting to see whether she gets the Plus on that move cuz I believe if she does get the plus she should slide into finals if she doesn’t get the plus she won’t be in the final so it be interesting to see how the judges score that cuz it looked a bit maybe a bit touch and go with that that heel hook um we shall see yes we will well the judges actually are in front of our commentary box they’ve got a screen where the all the video is fed through so they can watch replays so yeah when the appeals come through that’s where they’ll check it so Alberta leaves us oh look at that floating around having a wonderful time up in the air no real wind here today it’s what makes the conditions good although actually I’m saying that the wind has started to blow through and it is nice and cooling here in the auditorium this is our top eight Al Yakuza in that danger spot and for the women Oceana McKenzie 35 Plus look at the 35s everyone on 35 Plus apart from Annie Sanders and Flora and Flora we said to you at the beginning don’t count out the athletes coming first she climbed what fourth yeah and she’s in the finals at the start of the yeah the semi-finals brilliant from her well great to see we said there’d be some new faces we were Prov correct and Flora will compete again and she’s just on my right actually sitting on the fence and chatting to her teammates looking trying to compose herself anyway okay next series of athletes out we have May kataki from [Music] Japan and then the big reaction you heard was for Sam avazu who is obviously French athlete avazu number two to climb here this morning coming up to just past 12: p.m. and if you’re just joining us this is the lead men and women semi-final my name is Matt groom I’m joined by Joshua brains here in the commentary box more of a speed climber nowadays future Olympian but a a balr and Lead expert as well having competed on the scene for a long time all right Sam let’s see what you can do here as he goes up quickly through the bottom of the route Sam in very hot form after his uh well his win actually Qs event in Budapest he won the whole event uh and with that secured his Olympic spot of course and yeah he actually played second here in Shaman last year behind Toby Roberts who we’re going to see uh very soon as well so it’ll be interesting to see how he does in this semi-final rout real just I mean amazing both the disciplines he’s won uh medals in both actually at the at the World Cup stage yeah he has and he’s certainly now in the conversation for a Podium for the Olympics there’s quite a few men who are actually when you look at that field and it’s always that it was hard and I slipped into this trap for the oqs because you forget that other athletes have already qualified you know and they’ve got other competitors CU obviously Sam and Doan Lee winning that but there’s many more who have already qualified of course yeah I definitely put Sam as one of the contenders for a medal for sure especially just because of how good he is over both the disciplines which is obviously key some of the athletes I’d say would definitely haven’t preferred whereas I think with Sam I think just IA discipline just just depends on the day I mean and he’s just he’s looks so impressive in in both over the last couple years in the World Cup stage so yeah and he’s shaking out here he was so quickly through that campus section Just Launch through not a moment of hesitation from him May Kaki meanwhile is on the women’s Crocs and this is another big move for her she’s got to fully commit just gets the toes in and now we’ll stand on the jib let’s see what Sam can do here Sam not exactly taking his time he’s just flying through looking actually looking very very comfortable ooh well making light work so far this super super cruy section here it was when we’ve seen so many athletes struggle to get that left foot across I’m just one little kick to get established and then over he goes and he’s already climbing himself into a a finals position really yes he is headwell beckin but that left crimp we saw Alberto far off which is just at the top right of your screen is a tricky move makei is on the women’s Crocs are about to be look at this from s now watch his left hand though will it stick you haven’t got much for the feet no it’s a snatchy move into that yeah it’s a super super tough move especially with how pumped he’s going to be at that stage and with the the blocker too you got to be super super precise we saw Alberto go a little bit slower to it uh and make it work but I mean either way Sam’s going to be super super happy with that and that’s yeah easily into the finals so job done for him yeah he’ll comeb again the French crowd will enjoy that one tonight May kataki meanwhile will launch over gets the feet in and this is a good climb no real drama from her gets this uh tow hook instead of the heel twisting that toe in now shaking those arms out has that left toe really locked in well there didn’t go for the heel she bumps out but she also hasn’t made this High clip this was the Mia cample issue and I tell you what she’s got less reach than Mia cample does so she could be in some trouble here I don’t know what she’s going to do here I don’t think she’s got the wingspan at all to get over to that right clip even if she kicks it I just don’t think she’s going to be able she Ki foret what we said there we go clearly we know nothing no I guess was super impressive yeah that really was I didn’t think she had the reach oh slid down that sloper to be fair she committed to kicking that quick draw much sooner than Mia did uh and I think that was really the difference there but no I think I think you’re totally right yeah it was just that I think Mia thought about it well she she realized she made the mistake and then tried to think through the mistake whereas may just went for it yeah I think Mia even was considering like maybe climbing down or something I think May was just like okay I’m here let’s just figure out a solution right now and actually did a really really good job to get out of quite a a tricky situation there yeah it really was a good work from her and actually that that’s going to be enough for finals for her so we’ll see her again Lance yeah the final starting to take shape now she on a mat penultimate athlete out for the men women have got three to go climbing a little bit slower than the man at the moment Shion rocks up on that left heel gets in the right heel double heels in that’s the triango quick draws our new sponsor for the ifsc Shion a World Cup medalist came second in wuang last year and really yeah last year was his his breakout breakout year his first year on the the adult scene yeah and doing very well at the moment cruising through these bottom moves hard sequence to come though look at our top eight on the right Stephan aelf is still in the top eight with 32 plus count back obviously making a difference you can see how many are in the 32 plus category yeah so that top six in the in the men’s right now provisionally in and then obviously zento and stano potentially on the outside but in that kind of danger zone well here is a crowd favorite on the left Jane Kim she’s won here before in shamon and she was looking good yesterday double tops for her off she goes was it double tops I might have made that up actually uh I I believe J Kim did have double tops yes as I said that Matt you don’t know that don’t say yeah I believe I believe the top four girls had had double top yeah yeah and lots of men with double tops as well well shata cruise through the bottom he’s just below the crimps now and Jane with her a mere 50 World Cup lead wins to her name which for reference there’s actually two more than y currently in the lead discipline which is incredible really puts it into perspective when you think about how dominant y’s been in the last seven or eight years she’s actually still she actually still needs two more to match Jane that’s just how incredible she’s been for I mean what a decade and a half now it must be yeah I mean she’s one of our you know more experienced athletes and I hope she never stops climbing she’s wonderful to watch right she on AA got through the campus had a bit of a moment there but managed to pull something out of the bag and now goes up towards the left crimp so he’ll shake out here Jan Kim is entering the first of the women’s cruxes yeah it was her Boulder that let her down in the oqs recently just always leaving herself so much to do in lead and she always delivered but eventually it kind of caught up with her and she just needed to improve the boulder a bit Yeah I think she was just on the outside looking in uh in the OCS ranking for for Paris which is obviously a huge shame for her but I mean honestly with with the way she’s going I mean she is actually one to watch for La like definitely um yeah just an incredible athlete and the longevity just to keep going wow this right foot on the B hole this is really really risky from her well look we yeah and Shion as well gets the left hand we don’t see that often Bol holds being used like that b covers I should say not hold obviously got down on the bolts yeah a risky move from Jean but it did work and Shion is going to pull onto the head wall if he can get this done one powerful move to go before you can press oh getting onto the head W and now emerging onto that that Mark for for finals is Shion shakes out the right hand brings really really good he’s climbed actually quite slowly through this this whole route but just his endurance really really showing let’s see what he can do on the top of the Wall comes into the pinch gets a healing he’s looking good at the moment but this move for him this cross through with the left hand so much tension required when you’re tired can he flick the high right foot he can as well no misses the crimp and there is a I think appeals coming through from Alexander totk I believe we haven’t been informed about it but uh yeah she’s certainly in discussion with the judges at the moment I imagine that would be yeah for that that positive move cuz actually yeah she she gets that positive move she’s bumped up like 10 spots in the rankings and straight into the finals junin Falls going up that’s a shame for Jame yeah a bit of a surprise that one and you can see the disappointment and I don’t think that’s going to be enough not going to be enough unfortunately all right so she comes down as well [Applause] okay well a couple of athletes to go now just one man left as our camera pans down the plasy BL honestly last night during the speed please go and watch it because that audience was as far back as you can see crammed in there were lights going on the atmosphere was incredible and I I mean that was speed which was a huge audience it’ll be the same again here for Lee tonight it’s a really EX exciting place to be okay Jessica Pils will come on for the women as Jane Kim is clapped off and Toby Roberts on screen will climb for the men he made Boulder finals he made lead finals recently and in terms of his Olympic prep that’s it’s good going I mean definitely one of the favorites uh for a medal in Paris uh a lead World Cup winner and a boulder World Cup winner so yeah one more cups in both disciplines and over the last couple years has established himself as without a doubt one of the strongest climbers in the world so still very very young as well so lots and lots of years ahead of him and uh I would say ick and in about in 10 years time or so we’ll be talking about him as one of the best of all time I I really feel that’s where that the the ceiling and the the talent level is and you comp with him a bit back in your youth days didn’t you I did we were actually on the the same youth team together funny enough when we were very very young uh for a few years actually in the the very early stages of our our climbing careers um and yeah even even back then you could just see the the work ethic um he just worked harder than every single person on the circuit in that youth team and I think he just wanted it he wanted it so bad there was so much desire and he was he was eyeing up Olympics World Cup wins even at that young 9 10 11 years old it’s so cool to see him now you know really come in and be one of the best climbers in the world cuz as good as he was when he was young he just you always knew he was going to be great but not necessarily this great I mean yeah it’s it’s unreal how how well he has developed yes it is and let’s see what form he’s in today Jessica fils meanwhile is going to hit the first of the women’s cruxes coming up she had a good round in inbrook not so much in Boulder but better in lead I joke with Toby the other day when I saw in the supermarket because of course the Euro final is on tonight I’ll tell me and I said Toby it’s going to be such a shame oh Toby nearly dropped that sorry to nearly drop that right hand then has to flick the left hand over the rope that was my heart just he made tough work of that he’s going to go up with the left hand to that hold which is he’s going to surely I think he’s just going to come in and match that and he should be should be totally fine yeah a different he looks like he’s opposed himself and recovered yeah that was tricky I mean now he makes the match as you said yeah the Euros are tonight during the finals it’s going to be a challenging one that one for you football and climbing fans out there yeah I joked when I said it’ be such a shame if you make sh manyy finals tonight you’re going to miss England winning the Euros oh don’t say that you can’t he can’t say that n he’s there com all right well Toby is squeezing his way through the slopy move Jesse meanwhile made it through the splits move so she’s making progress as well but Toby has the men’s Crocs coming up this 32 hold oh he oh he doesn’t find it first time that’s intention go he just saved that that time it’s been a slightly nervy one for Toby I mean one thing about him just nothing phases him doesn’t matter what happens on the route he’s just going to fight and fight and fight and now he’s looking good and he’s going to to start getting up into this head now yeah well that right arm nice and straight to rest Jesse drops into the pocket well she should be through now into the uh rest if she can spot the clip and get over Toby creeps up hits the sloper adjusts the hands makes a little bump really nice and Toby got to get that clip in here it does so pretty [Applause] [Music] comfortably oh hyping up the crowd a little bit on the way as well on the head R but this is the move could we see a new High Point here yes we can matching where Alberto got oh and Shake oh my goodness he’s got more to give it and he loves the disgusting crimp just Toby so he should enjoy this oh we could be seeing the top here I think so you know he’s one move away so bad at the end the top can he get it yes oh there we go so Toby first top I tell you what first top in a men’s route in ages it seems unreal well Toby with his kick at the top so so SED that’s his celebration isn’t it that little double kick oh what way to finish things off for the men Toby Roberts getting a top and he will qualify in first position for tonight’s finals but Jesse Pils has work to do but good from her as she enters the finals as well pretty much a perfect outcome from the route Setters getting uh one top on the men’s route and the last Climer out as well meanwhile Jesse pills approaching a potential new High Point here in the women’s yeah she crosses through great work from Jesse she seems to be in very good lead climbing form at the moment she’s uh yeah Boulder was a bit difficult the other day in inbrook for her standards but lead just looks just so fit yeah and this is Uncharted Territory I think oh yeah this is a new High Point here for Jesse oh holds the shoulder move as well she’s still got something in those arms and she’s 41 yeah new High Point ooh super super impressive could we get a double top here potentially be nice wouldn’t it she’s trying hard but she’s also looking really really good oh and she falls right well Jesse comes down just to update you so the appeal is for sure here for uh Alexander totk so she’s claiming 35 Plus instead of 35 the reason this is important is because it could be the difference between being in the finals or not they’re in front of us in the commentary box the appeal is I’ve seen the the appeal piece of paper being handed in so we’ll keep you updated but Jesse Pils won’t have to worry about that cruising through with a high point let’s check these results for the men Toby Roberts we just saw it topping the route the only one to do so Alberto hinis Lopez Adam Andra Sam abzu shiono mat Sasha Layman Colin Duffy and G Mo again making a final sprey for him with that 34 so that’s our top eight barring appeals but we haven’t been told about any so we don’t think there are some through and we might see the women’s results before imori climbs yes we do Jesse Pils leading the way 43 plus anisan as Flora what performance from her May kataki Matia poy Mia krle zelia avazu and Vita Lucan but remember Alexander tokov that plus could make all the difference so that’s the uh the drama that’s going on right now in Shaman and I can see there on the bottom left of your screen imar walks on one of the most popular women on the circuit she just grabs fans Hearts it seems she has that endurance style where she never gives up never falls off yeah she’s got one hell of a fan base actually she really does and of course I mean uh lead well champion won in Burn last year uh Paris 2024 qualified athlete and I think as far as endurance go I don’t think there’s a climber on the planet that has has good endurance as imori absolutely let’s see if she can go through she sometimes struggles that she sometimes struggles at the powerful moves there isn’t really in this route so I think she’s going to enjoy this I think it’s going to be very very well suited to her yeah she she’s one of the definitely one of the smallest athletes in the field and so yeah sometimes those sort of burlier moves big moves Dynamic moves can be a bit tricky for her but as you say there isn’t really anything that that poses that sort of threat on this route so uh I reckon yeah we could see some really really good things from I here well here she goes into the slopers as she comes across she had a great performance in inbrook top the route was beaten by an due to countback but both of them finished things off there kicks the foot backwards Alexander toova still nervously waiting she’s just raised her eyebrows at me over there just she knows how important this is she’s literally usually the athletes will walk away from the judging area while the decision is made she is not she’s hovering she’s waiting and this is our last climate of the day men’s route finished just the women to finish things off [Music] here all right spots the move this is the only sequence you might struggle with here actually is this kick over to the right we’ve seen athletes do it those young Kim walked to away AC cross as does yeah had to think about for a sec not a lot of time to hang around though on that hold don’t think about it for too long yeah we have seen some of the shorter athletes struggle a little bit on that section just getting that right foot over it’s super super stretchy but fortunately I no real issues looking quite comfortable look at that position with the drop knee as well drop knee is as it sounds when you turn your knee down towards the ground you twist your foot in it’s a very crucial move on like steep climbing like this especially in lead when you’re trying to conserve your energy as much as possible that’s exactly it can really take some pressure off the arms there okay so I at the moment looks like she’s got loads to give doesn’t look pumped yet feet through gets the healing and you got to say if I can make it through here she is absolutely the favorite for tonight’s finals yeah 100% I’d agree I think her and and Jesse Pils really would be the the two standout girls um but yeah it’s going to be going to be interesting I’d say quite a quite an open Final for the woman is just like a couple of neish names free Austrian wom which is interesting yeah team a already coming on yeah big time and then the the men’s finals looking stacked as we would have expected some really really big heavyweight names and there lots of Olympians too which is also awesome to see yes it is well Im Mor is dropping down almost a smile she does this this is such a classic I move she’s gone to the Annie Annie Sanders genuinely I think I finds that restful you know the second she drops that leg out and sorry the Arman she looks so comfortable in it doesn’t she she did it on the the nasty Dino that was at the bottom of the women’s route one she hit it floated and then just released you know hanging off there with one arm powerful moves coming up though didn’t really need to shake out at all though on that hold and I wonder if she’ll use a high LIF heel here for this next big powerful move or if she’ll just try and catch the catch the big swing yeah it is the high left heel and it looks really really comfortable for her it does doesn’t it was a was a good read from you there Joshua right she’s onto the head wall here just that metal line separating it now she comes watch the scoreboard she’s in fourth with 30 s some way to go before she gets over Jesse Pils now up to 38 little adjustments with the [Music] [Applause] feet clicks that drawer in nicely a lot of climbing to go there still an enormous head W here she’s looking super super comfortable so far hopefully we can see her getting into this final stage here on the woman’s route it’s good practice for the finals as well she will be in the finals now but can she beat Jesse crosses through nice I think she can you know that’s a new high point in the woman’s oh look how bad that hold looks sler this the set has told me that this was the worst hold on the roof but such a difficult move yes my goodness they said it looks good but it’s not when you’re up there and imori does fall for it but 45 will be the new top spot and we know our top eight barring appeals Alexander toover is still in the judges area waiting well we’ll have uh the results as we know them as we come up to 12:30 here in Shaman great compat interesting route some obvious cruxes that uh shut down a lot of athletes yeah very stiff semi-final round uh Roots much harder than qualification as we expected and I think some good separation for the most part and then obviously uh Toby Ros with that top is obviously great to see and great for the crowd as well up the crowd on the on the head was yeah awesome to see awesome scenes yeah they enjoyed that didn’t they well they will go for a little break we’ll wait for the results Before We Say Goodbye and uh I think everyone will be going out for a climb enjoying the sunshine here in sham ramping themselves up for this evening’s entertainment as our camera just pans as our drone I mean pans as it comes around showing everyone starting to leave the stadium now but there’s lots to do you can see on the right hand side the wall and uh the various tents with Brands sponsors let’s have a look at the results imori Leading The Way with 45 plus Jesse Pils Anastasia Sanders Flora oasa brilliant from her May kataki Matia poy Mia krle and zelia avazu remember this is still under appeal for alexanda totk we’ll see her score in a minute she’s currently down in 15th but that plus could be massive for her because of that Crux move which a lot of athletes fell on after that Jen Kim bit disappointing from her and down at the bottom zakim who had an issue with a clip by the way I think I might have slightly missed it but she couldn’t get a clip in properly and that’s what caused her to fall down low on 15 so that’s the women’s semi-final wait for the men’s results mon Blanc there in the background on the left Toby Roberts we saw him top he leads the way we’ll climb last tonight Alberto hin Lopez that man has been his we to Bic hasn’t he Adam Andra Sam avazu Shion omata Sasha Layman Colin Duffy G Mo into the top eight zento just outside on 33 go down Max Bon another solid semi-finals from him building on his performances Luca poer will be disappointed not to have got further with that 32 and then finally on our last couple Jesse grouper down on the bottom spot but as we know coming back from injury first comp back so a good performance from him well Joshua thank you so much for joining me here today it was a pleasure talking to you and best of luck for the Olympics very very soon I hope it goes well yeah thank you very much for having me it was a pleasure man we be back anytime well we will say goodbye for now we’ll be joining you this evening for the finals thank you so much for watching remember those results under appeal and we’ll see you tonight for more ifsc action [Music] [Music] for
24 Comments
Ai Mori 2:28:52
I thank you for broadcasting.
28:30 김주하
59:44 권기범
2:17:38 김자인
Ai Mori, casually doing a body-defying drop knee 😅❤
The men’s route looks savage. What is that leg press thing that Colin Duffy did?
Really enjoyed Joshua's commentary!! I hope we get to hear from him again in future broadcasts 🙂
Ai Mori 2:28:50 ❤
AI chan gamba!!!🤗
What does 360⁰ mean to the commentators?
Kim Juha dropped off because she Z-clipped not because she couldn't work the feet out, 29:52.
Ai Mori fan here!
name overlays please and thank you.
Ai Mori is so subtle with her moves. She'll only smile at the finals and you may only see a temporary grin.
will Ai mori will participate in Briancon?
1:12:21 for the interview with the IFSC president
why did Totkova not get the plus?
I think I do prefer when the different sections of the route are color coded, makes it easier to parse them and understand where people are falling
Campusing/forced lockoff moves might be a good example where shorter climbers have a bit of an advantage, just looking at how some of the taller athletes were struggling on that section
Makes a world of difference to have a native English speaking co-commentator. Even though there are some, like Staša Gejo for example who are fluent enough to make it work.
I already know this isn't going to be received well, but I'm going to say it anyway. There is absolutely no need to have somebody like Nika Potapova co-commentating. She is simply unable to add any value to the commentary. There is especially not need for it, seeing how there is an ocean of other, more suitable and qualified individuals to fill the role.
If anyone has got any ideas as to why Matt seems to be keen on continuously inviting her to commentate I'd love to hear it.
2:01:25 Adam ondra
The Mori Flick is catching 😂 Mia 1:58:12 does it. And then Mei 2:15:51
Mori and Gines are the proof that you don't have to be big or tall to stand out. They're my inspiration starting this sport!
I was about to skip the IFSC President's interview but the guy said two lines and I had to keep listening. Respect, is so good to know they are trying and doing so much more than organizing sport events.
Don't understand why Alexandra didn't get the plus.