Five Slovenians to the semi and Garnbret tops both qualis

There were 100 women competing in the Bern Lead qualification today. Janja Garnbret (SLO) won one group by topping both routes in full control. Number one in the other group was Ai Mori (JPN). Three climbers were tied in third; Brooke Raboutou (USA), Laura Rogora (ITA) and Seo Chaehyun (KOR). In total, Slovenia got all their five girls to the semifinal and France four.

Natalia Grossman was #27 and just missed the semifinal. Oriane Bertone, who like Grossman, is one of the favourites to get a medal and an Olympic ticket in the Combined, was 11th. The french comments to IFSC. (c) Jan Virt

“It went pretty well. I wasn’t expecting a lot as I haven’t really been training enough I don’t think to be one of the top ones in Lead. I was hopeful. I really wanted to do well because it is the World Championships and I’ve trained a lot, but I just climbed and it went very well as I happened to be above the bar of 40. I was 40+, and that was a big achievement for me. It’s the first time I think I have done it in a comp. It was not too pumpy, there were some boulder moves, and it was a lot of fun.

I class myself as mainly a boulderer as I train much more in that, but I’m starting to feel much more like a Lead climber now because I’m training a lot. I would say I’m a combined athlete.”