Stefano Ghisolfi and Sean Bailey scored 42+ after having touched the final jug but Ghisolfi was ranked #1 after the semi, due to countback. If they will get an identical score also in the final, Ghisolfi will win. Nine males, ranked #5 - 13, got within one hold and basically, it was a difficult clip that made the difference who was going to the final. A good strategy was to skip the clip which later forced some to start down climbing.

Among the girls, we saw five tops not counting Alex Totkova who was timed out. Natalia Grossman, who won the qualification, continued smiling her way up and is ranked #1 after the semifinal. In total, Slovenia got three girls into the final Top-8. The male final starts at 19.30 tomorrow Sunday followed by the female. Complete results

Andrea Gennari Daneri from Pareti Magazine has helped out with some comments from Alfredo Webber, who just did his second 9a, Pure Dreaming in Arco. Adam Ondra made the FA of it in 2018. The 51-year-old and 159 cm tall did his first 9a in 2017. (c) Giacomo Tonoli

"When I bolted Pure Dreaming in February 2017 I didn't think I would be able to climb this line; I did not even imagine that I would have made almost 400 attempts spread over 3 and a half years of ups and downs, fingers open, desperate attempts at 35 degrees, with the cold, with the rain, days where logic led not even to leave home. Surprisingly, given the temperatures not exactly at the top, yesterday I managed to climb this line.

Thanks to Alessandro "Classe" Corradini for the endless belaying and his patience. I am also happy that staring at my ascent there was a talent of the new generations Andrea Chelleris (12) with his parents whom I thank for the cheering and for the video. I think that soon the next Pure Dreaming climber will be Andrea."

Alfredo's comments from 2017, when he did his first 9a are still interesting. "I’m close to 50 years old and now I work full time in a quarry, five days a week, 8 hrs a day. I wake up at 7 am, breakfast, then a 20 km drive to the quarry. Back home at 6 pm. Two days a week I have training on my wall at home. It’s a 1h 30’ work, basically long sequences, with intervals of some harder moves; then some hangs on crimps. When I’m projecting something hard for Sunday I have to rest on Friday and Saturday, otherwise, I get weak. I’m less powerful than 20 years ago, but now I know myself better and I manage better my energies."

Nick Bradley has done his second 8C, Delirium in Mt Evans and he has the video on Insta. The 24-year-old did his first 8B in 2015 and has since then built up a solid grade pyramid with 22 8B's and four 8B+' before doing his first two 8C's in 2021. " I did the left exit a few years ago so I had learned the beginning already. It took about 5 sessions this year to finish up Delirium."

Alex Totkova made her first 8a headlines when she did her first 8a at age 12. Previously, she had for two years won all the comps she had done in Bulgaria, Petzen, Imst and Arco. Being 13, she did her first 8c and last year she sent her first 9a (8c+). In 2019, she started doing IFSC Youth Cups and although winning two events, half of the time she was outside the podium. In her WC debut, she was #18 and then #6 before getting the bronze in Chamonix. (c) Vladek Zumr

How can you training wise explain your great progress in 2021?
This season, which is not over yet 😊, was planned by my coaches a year earlier. They inspired me and motivated me that things could work out. For my preparation most of the time we trained in Bulgaria in NSA gym. We do not have the best conditions for lead in all Bulgaria and I mostly train on the boulder wall for endurance. But I hope that things will get better soon 😀. I have a training program but it is difficult for explain. We are training different for every competition.

How does it feel to have taken such big steps up in the ranking?
With a lot of experience and adrenaline from yesterday's final, I am almost happy with my climbing😚….. but not really happy🤷🏼‍♀️, because I could do a little more. I really want to get pump at my maximum as the best climbers do. And I think I didn’t do my best, yes nice climbing but not enough. Now l am looking for the next competition which is after a few days. I want to show my limit.🤪 TOP

What are your goals for 2021?
My dreams are my goal and I want to fulfil my dreams without anyone knowing about them. After fulfilling them maybe I will want to say😁😆

Pierre Le Cerf has done the FA of Alone 9a in Gorges du Loup, which is an extension to an 8b+/c. (c) Loïc Athenon

"This project was a great lesson in life because, during the first two sessions, I barely reached the beginning of the hard passage. I fell each time on the first move after 35m of 8b+/c climbing. I lacked fluidity, mental strength for some parts, lower temperature and endurance in the forearms, and especially more endurance in the arms. I went back to training and inserted a bit of route-specific endurance into these workouts and I was doing circuits 8-10 min in my bedroom in the heat, without stopping, to get used to this long effort. I say "a great lesson in life" because in just two other sessions in the route I ended up doing it thanks to a great desire. Anything can happen quickly in life."

Laura Rogora won in Chamonix being the only one topping out in a great fight, which was the highlight of the evening. Natalia Grossman continued showing great also in Lead, getting the silver. Third was Alex Totkova (16) who has improved from being #18 and #6 in her two first WCs. Vita Lukan lost the bronze due to countback. (c) Vladek Zumr

Among the male, unfortunately, the route was too hard but as in Villars, Sean Bailey got highest on the wall. Second and third were Stefano Ghisolfi and Martin Stranik who both fell as they tried to use a kneebar. Martin is a boulder specialist who got the silver in the World Championship in 2007! From the Complete results we can see that almost all of the Olympians did not take part.