The female boulder qualification got a good start with Janja Garnbret topping out all five boulders in good style. As the competition progressed with less experienced climbers it was only the last boulder that was doable and the #4 ranked did only manage one top in group A. In the end, with the sun hitting the walls, we saw only zones on two boulders out of one placed sticking the first move. In the second group it was a bit better with Akiyo Noguchi on top with four boulders. However, also here it was good enough to make it to the semi by just doing one boulder. Austria did get four girls trough to the semi and had seven Top-23. Overall, only 37 % out of all the girls did get at least three zones. Alejandra Contreras was #41, out of 112, by doing two zones in four tries. A total of 15 girls did not get one zone. Complete results (c) Udo Nemann

Isabelle Faus has done Fragile Steps in Rocklands and gives is a personal grade of 8A. Originally it was considered as an 8B and still some do but lately both 8A+ and 8A have been suggested. Isabelle is #2 in the 8a ranking game but with given it 8A+ she would have been #1. (c) Caroline Treadway

Piotr Schab has done his sixth 9a+, No Pain No Gain in Rodellar. In the 8a ranking game, the 22 year old Pole is #2 after Adam Ondra. "Pure brutal endurance.. hard to say If it deserves the whole + in the grade , but for sure it deserves the fatigue! Stunning line, some crazy moves and it’s not that artificial. Respect Dani!"

Becky Wilby has just signed up having done Armed Response 8A+ in Rocklands and five 8A's this summer. The amazing thing is that she started climbing just five years ago but it was nut until three years ago she started going outdoors and training hard. "I have trained 6 days a week, twice a day for the past 3 years, only really taking breaks for holidays, injuries or rest weeks. Generally doing an hour of strength training in the morning before work, and then mixing up the evening sessions with technique, mileage and board sessions, depending on how I felt. Weekends have looked similar. I have climbed outside as much as possible, I am fortunate to have some good local crags that I have used as training venues. My focus has always been on total body strength, and learning to use my whole body, and apparently I have naturally strong fingers!! To be honest I have never struggled with getting strong. I am very fortunate that I have had a home board and fingerboard set up, along with space to use TRX, rings, weights etc. I basically created my own gym in my parents garden Shed. Mainly because I didn’t want to train at the wall, as silly as it seems, I actually train a lot better and push myself a lot harder in the comfort of my own space."

2003 Started climbing 12 years old 2005 #2 in the Youth Worlds which he later won 3 times 2011 Winning 7 straight World Cups 2012 World Champion 2013 #2 in both Lead and Boulder WC 2014 #1 in Lead WC 2016 #2 World Champion 2017 Three Lead WC entries 3 - 1 - 1 2018 World Champion (c) Vladek Zumr

Moritz Perwitzschky has had an extremely productive trip to Rocklands doing 40 boulders 8A and harder including his first 8C, Noise vs Beauty. During the last 12 months he has done 125 boulders 8A and harder as well as 50 routes 8a+ and harder. In the Combined ranking game, the 19 year old German is #5. (c) Basti

Fabrizio Peri, who did Grandi Gesti 9a, when he was 42 years old has done Sitting Bull 8c+ (9a) in Collepardo. He has been working on the route during weekends for two months. The Italian started climbing in 1979 and amazingly, he did his first 8c when he was 40 years old. The reason was that he lost 7 kilos when he finished his body building training with weights. Fabrizio is a military climbing instructor meaning he trains more or less every day. Next he wants to finish a four year project as well doing possibly do Era Vella in Spain. The key is passion, strict training, nutrition and "a good dose of masochism."