Mathieu Bouyoud has, after two weekends of work including some ten tries, done his 15th 9a, La Prophétie des Grenouilles in Fournel. "It's a connection between the 8c "Une Arquée pour un Criquet" and the 8b "La Croix de Toulouse". A long route in a magic place where Yann Ghesquier did the FA." His next plan is to do another 9a in La Balme, where he already has done seven 9a's and one 9a+ FA. In the ranking game, the Frenchman is #5.

Andy Raether has done his second 9a FA, Manphibian in Mt Charleston which is an extension of the unrepeated Spyfiction 8c+ from 2012. That route took some 7 months only working on that and now he added four months for the 9a extension. (c) Lacey Jones "Manphibian follows this gorgeous line out a super steep face and into a blank looking steep arete and is capped off by a gruesome slab finish. The most difficult climbing is the beginning and the boulder problem up the arete right after Spyfiction. This route also has the most "keep you honest" finish of pretty much any route I have ever done, because after all the most difficult climbing is over, you still need do execute a 12+ slab section that if you aren't absolutely perfect then you're done." In total, Andy with no shoe or rope sponsor, has put up some 300 routes and 600 boulders. Interesting is that the hardest grades he has repeated are 8c and the latest was five years ago. "Honestly I climb way harder on my own routes. For me I really love all the hard work of bolting, cleaning, and sequencing a new line. Others' work is usually less intriguing to me. Plus I have zero money for climbing trips. Recently I've started bolting at a few completely new crags that previously had no routes."

If Combined climbing had mad it to the Olympics 15 years ago, we would have had a mega star with some gold medals hanging around his neck. We are talking winning different disciplines the same day? Now he works anonymously as an IFSC route setter. An interesting interview is coming up also explaining how to train for Tokyo 2020. The background for the interview is that his kid has just set some new records. Who is it?

Lair Thibault has done his third 9a FA, La minute de rési, 9a in Lourdes. In the 8a ranking game, the French man is #14. "This is a 3-route connection, 40 movements of pure endurance. It took me about 15 sessions. Evening after work sessions were necessary to do the route. Even if it is not a king line, still very happy to do this big chunk of endurance!"

Jimmy Webb reports on Instagram that he has done Daniel Woods' problem Creature from the Black Lagoon, a RMNP 8C+ boulder repeated previously by Dave Graham. (C) Hannah Donnelly "One of my main goals of the trip is complete with the 3rd ascent of the ultra sick @dawoods89 test piece 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' V16. After 6 days of work gaining the necessary power, power endurance, and alpine fitness I was finally able to take it down. Feels so damn good to climb such a stunner!! Still got plenty of time left in the alpine and there's tons more to do." Jimmy probably is the best flash climber ever and was #1 in the ranking game for a while and now he is #3 in the world ranking game.

Spanish youngster Jorge Diaz-Rullo did his first 9a+ Ali Hulk Extension in Rodellar. It is the 3rd repeat of Dani Andrada's route since 2007. In the picture onsighting Detectives 8a. (c) Carlos Padilla "I can't believe it yet! So happy! After 10 days working on the cave I could do it today. Thanks to all my friends for supporting me and specially to Octavio, who was pulling me up to try the moves. So nice, then celebrating and kept saying "don't stop!" Not too many references about the grade, Andrada said at first as well as Danilo Pereyra and Magnus Midtbø in the 9a/+ and 9a+ range." Jorge is in holidays right there in Rodellar with a nice list in just a month. Seven routes from 8c to 9a+.

Having talked to most of the top male WC boulderers and many of the coaches, it seems like everyone is going for the Olympics. Nobody, besides the French guys, have started any serious Speed training but many say they will start this winter. In one way, it is good for the athletes that most give low priority for Speed which makes it feel less hard to become a very good Speed climber. On the other hand, the French guys did perform relatively bad in Munich which could be explained their broader focus already. Alexey Rubtsov said specifically that he plans to not train Lead but just Boulder and Speed as it is not a problem to be weak in one discipline if you are good in the other two. The Combined result is calculated by multiplication.

Jan Hojer, competing against five guys from Asia, put on an amazing show in the Boulder World Cup final in Munich. Some 3 000 spectators got crazy for each top and when he also topped the last boulder and secured the victory, it was an epic thunder and lightening moment. Jan got emotional and after the event he took the microphone and explained how much their support meant. Among the females, Janja Garnbret who has won the three first Lead WCs this year, won her third Bouldering WC. Once again she did it by showing spectacular technique using all of her body from the toes to the head continuing and stopping big pendelum swings. The young Slovenian also saved the show for the route setters, together with Stasa Gejo, as the other four climbers basically could not establish the start or doing the first move on two consecutive boulders. (c) Eddie Fowke Complete results 1. Jan Hojer GER 4t10 4b6 - Janja Garnbret SLO 3t10 3b6 2. Tomoa Narasaki JPN 3t6 3b3 - Shauna Coxsey 2t2 2b2 3. Taisei Ishimatsu JPN 3t7 3b4 - Akiyo Noguchi 1t1 2b4 4. Jongwon Chon KOR 2t3 3b4 - Stasa Gejo 1t3 3b9 5. Yoshiyuki Ogata JPN 2t3 3b4 - Alex Puccio 1t3 2b4 6. Kokoro Fujii JPN 2t9 2b6 - Petra Klingler 0 1b4 Follow up article where the Japanese, Chon and Hojer, explain their recipe for success is coming up.

1. Jongwon Chon KOR 453 - Shauna Coxsey GBR 560 2. Tomoa Narasaki JPN 404 - Janja Garnbret SLO 470 3. Alexsey Rubtsov RUS 399 - Akiyo Noguchi JPN 380 4. Keita Watabe JPN 372 - Miho Nonaka JPN 377 5. Kokoro Fujii JPN 327 - Petra Klingler SUI 290 6. Rei Sugimoto JPN 278 - Stasa Gejo SRB 234 7. Jan Hojer GER 235 - Katja Kadic SLO 227 8. Yoshiyuki Ogata JPN 232 - Michaela Tracey GBR 190 Five Japanese male in Top-8!