Highs in Hachioji 2019

1. Janja Garnbret: Winning three titles just confirms that she is the best ever competition climber in the history. Amazing performance by here. 2. Japanese domination: 50 % of the finalist in the Combined final. Amazingly impressive and there must be few individual sports where we see one country being so much ahead. 3. Japanese Speed progress: Tomoa Narasaki did clock 6.15 which would have taken him to the final in most prior Speed World Cups. Among the best Boulder/Lead climbers the male Japanese totally dominate. 4. Rishat Khaibullin: Last year he was #23 in the Combined doing 6.72 in Speed. He just trains it once a week so he does not match the criteria being a proper "Speed-specialist". In his three Speed WCs in 2019 he has improved from 6.88 - 6.47 - 6.15 and then he did 6.05 in Hachioji Speed followed by 5.83 beating the world champion Ludovico Fossali in the Combined. As a matter of a fact, this was good news for IFSC being a way better overall climber. In his last Lead run, he wisely skipped two clips and continued winning the bronze. 5. Drama especially with Time: As time decides equal hold score in Lead, we see faster climbers and more drama. In the first 6 - 7 seconds Speed run, it is decided whether you will get 1 - 4 or 5 - 8. With the multiplication format this have a massive impact. At the same time, the overall winner is, at least in theory, an open affair until the leader is out in Lead.