Sorato Anraku was last out in the Lead final with Toby Roberts sitting in the gold chair. The 17-year-old hesitated a bit also in the 360-rotating campus move facing the spectators. Fighting his way up securing first the bronze and then the silver, he fell three moves below what was needed.

The camera focuses Toby who does not understand what has happened but as his team, including his father, is screaming and jumping he realizes he got the Olympic gold. All the 7,000 spectators were cheering for him and the event was yet another success for competition climbing and IFSC. Noteworthy is also that Adam Ondra was tied for #1 in Lead, together with Jakob Schubert, in possibly his last international competition ever. Schubert got the bronze overall as he also did in Tokyo.

Noé Looser, who last year won the European Youth Lead Championship, has done Erntezeit (8c) in Vorarlberg. The 17-year-old started climbing at age 9 and two years later she did her first 8b followed by an 8c at age 13. "I had much fun and climbing outdoors is good for me to keep my motivation high for the next competitions and the training indoors. It's a route with two boulders and a rest position between these boulders. It was uncomfortable and hard to clip the top."

What is your next plan?
My plan for 2024 is to compete in China at the Youth World Championships in bouldering and lead, the European Youth Championships, and the Swiss Championship in lead.

Piotr Oleszczuk, who two weeks ago flashed two 8B’s in Rocklands, has done Spray of Light (8C). ”My first 8C, still can’t believe it happened. I had to come up with a completely new technical beta for the second part since I struggled with the toe hook switch and releasing the toe with my foot in my face, being almost 190 cm tall. It took me 5 sessions.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
First of all, I'm soo happy to finally achieve a goal I've been working towards for the past year. Over the last two years, I've built a solid pyramid, sending eight 8B+ problems, so topping it off with an 8C feels like a perfect reward :). I'm particularly proud that it took me less than four years to progress from my first 8A to sending my first 8C.

I arrived in Rocklands with a plan to try an 8C boulder, feeling pretty strong despite some finger issues just before the trip. My initial goal was to try Monkey Wedding, which Piotrek Schab sent last year. Unfortunately, I found it particularly difficult because it was very bunchy and small-box oriented, and I'm not exactly the smallest climber o ut there. I gave up on that pretty quickly and decided to focus on Spray, which seemed more suited to my style.

As for the boulder itself, it took me five sessions to complete. I managed to do all the individual moves in the first session, but I had to figure out my own beta for almost every move, as I might be a bit too tall for the original close-toehook switch beta and the final cutloose with a foot in my face. During the next two sessions, I started linking the moves together and completed the whole climb without the first three moves. The third move, involving a very painful finger lock, was especially challenging and left me with open wounds on the tops of my fingers after about ten tries.

Fortunately, everything changed during the fourth session, when I was climbing with Zach and Nathaniel. Having them on the same bloc somehow motivated me to pull harder on the painful crack, which helped me unlock the third move. At that point, I knew the whole boulder was doable and I just had to keep it together and send it with only two climbing days left on the trip.

On the second-to-last day, after two hours of fighting and one fall from a 7A ending, I finally managed to link everything together and send it!

IFSC has published comments from the three medallists: © Drapella/Virt/IFSC


#1 Garnbret: “I was really scared because my finger got stuck in between two holes (of a hold) and I couldn't get it out. So I was scared that I had fractured something, and I already fractured exactly this finger ten years ago. I was scared I did it again, but I had so much adrenaline that I didn't even care. I said to myself, 'I don't care if I'm missing a hand or a finger, I will go out there and climb the route. It doesn't feel broken. I can move it. I will check when I come back to Slovenia, but I think nothing too serious.”

#2 Raboutou: “Being in France, being half French, and having my French family out here, and the support from the crowd, I did feel it.

This was just the dream. We [I and Janja] have an incredible friendship, where we both want each other to do our best. That's what happened today, and it feels really good to share that with somebody. To share that connection as both a friend and an idol is incredible. I look up to her so much, and I'm so grateful for the support she's given me as well.”

#3 Pilz: “I just feel comfortable on the Lead wall. I feel comfortable there and always much more excited. You don't know exactly what's coming. But in the Lead, I knew that if I climbed as easily as I did in the semi and could simply deliver my performance, then I could go far. I'm just happy that it worked out that way.”

IFSC has published comments from the three medallists: © Drapella/Virt/IFSC

#1 Roberts: I've got no words. I'm just riding on adrenaline right now, but I feel incredible. At that point [Anraku climbing] I already knew I had won the silver medal, so I was really happy anyway just watching him. Then to realise that I had just become Olympic champion, I was just: wow, no words."

#2 Anraku: "I'm sad, and I regret that I could not make the best of Boulder & Lead. At the third and fourth Boulder I could not reach the top. In the Lead my feet weren't stable enough, which started in the middle of the route. But I'm still proud of myself."

#3 Schubert: "I am extremely proud that climbing is at the Olympic Games for the second time and that I have my second medal. That's something very special. And at the same time, I have the feeling that the Boulder round frustrated me extremely and there was a lot more possible for me today.

The big goal was gold or silver, and I'm a little bit hesitant about that, but I just can't complain because I know how difficult it is to win an Olympic medal."

The Speed final was a spectacular show with several very tight races. In the bronze final, Sam Watson set a new world record with 4.74. Then in the final, Veddriq Leonardo won over Peng Wu with 0.02 seconds, both setting new personal bests. Previously, Wu had won his quarterfinal with 0.002 seconds.

Jonathan Siegrist, with 79 routes 9a to 9b under his belt, has repeated BJ Tilden’s Pneuma (9a) in The Temple. The 38-year-old is #4 in the Vertical-Life ranking game having done eight routes 9a to 9b during the last year. "Absolutely brilliant route! Strength enduro nightmare on bad holds.. Loved every minute of it." (c) Nate Liles

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The crux comes without any rest before, and you have 6 really hard moves on bad holds, still no rest whatsoever you go directly into another 6 move boulder problem ending with a really fun big move to a jug. Still, a small exit crux guards the chains. I started trying right after climbing its neighbour - The Ritual. I had been thinking of coming to try Pneuma for years and my good friend BJ Tilden opened the route and said it was amazing - he was right! Last year he also did The Ritual so finally with two hard ones I knew it was time to make the trip up North.

Caroline Sinno, with six 8B’s under her belt, has added 32 boulders 8A and beyond to her ticklist which she has sent during the last three years. The 40-year-old did her first 8A in 2012.

How come you sent your first 8A at age 28 and then peaking around 40?
Because I was not into performance climbing when I was younger. I was multi sports, living in the alpes and also skiing. Also, I did long studies where it’s impossible to climb (engineering schools and master in marketing management at ESSEC). I started again after my studies and got hooked.

Which did you send the fastest and which took most sessions? Any long time projects?
I had my best year last year when I could climb sometimes 8A in one session which is very hard in Font. Prince Charles (8B) didn’t take me long, maybe 4/5 sessions. Most sessions spent was maybe Tristesse assis (8A+) which is more 8B to me.

My longest projects are two 8B+' that I have been trying a lot; Peak power and La valse intégrale. I also did a FFA of scary high ball, Le desert des Tartares (8A) this year. (c) Psambuy photos

Which was your latest hard send?
My last one was Vilaine biquette (8A+). It’s an endurance boulder with a 7A then 7C then 7B finish. It’s pretty hard and not repeated much. Perfect for the summer. It’s fun because you finish in red number 2 at Rocher canon. A classic hard circuit.

Can you tell us more about Fontainbleu circuits?
Circuits are boulders traced in advance in a Font climbing area. They work by colour and scale like in gyms; Yellow, orange, blue, red, white and black. They are convenient for beginners and warm-ups.

Some circuits are super classic in Font like the red one in Isatis up to 55 numbers traversing the whole area on the best boulders. Cosiroc association is tracing them and repainting them. Everyone can submit a circuit if it’s well done. I would like to trace a circuit for women somewhere. It would be nice to add it. With our difference of morphology, it wouldn’t be the same movements. It could be fun to offer a different vision in setting outside.

Do you have any established circuits you are eager to send?
Yes, the red one in Isatis which is long and sustained also a dream of doing the black of Cuisinière! Finishing in Duel! It would be crazy. Usually, people try to climb them during one day.

The red circuit is a tiring one with 62 boulders. Not super hard but long. The black circuit in Cuisinière is shorter but one of the hardest, 34 boulders but within 7B grade and finishing with Duel 8A.

Three weeks ago, we started to report some amazing sends by Michaela Kirsch in Rocklands. In the presented pictures it was clear that she was not using her left pinky and she told us the reason was that it was broken. Only two weeks before the trip she fell during trail running and had it dislocated and fractured. A few days later she got three screws surgically fixed into her pinky. Despite this, she sent 15 boulders 8A to 8B+ during 13 climbing days during her month long trip.

How much could you use the pinky?
As the weeks went on I was able to start incorporating it more (extremely carefully). It was mostly about being able to have the finger on holds so that the wrist wasn’t in an awkward or weaker position. I didn’t fully use it at all on the trip.

"My world turned completely upside down as I navigated my first major injury/broken bone, deciding whether or not I should cancel my trip, and ultimately trying to come to terms with adjusting my goals after feeling in the best shape of my life and working so hard. It was a total rollercoaster as I truly cycled through the stages of emotions and being so scared of surgery.

As many of you know, I am a hand therapist so this was the ultimate intersection of my life. As an OT, I knew that I needed to prioritize healing. As a climber, I was already in the gym moving my remaining digits and big muscles the next day. My surgeon cleared me to weight-bear at 6 weeks, which means climbing the whole trip in a 3 finger drag — we compromised on testing at 3 weeks because I promised to use my best clinical judgement based on the symptoms 😉

When I arrived in ZA my stitches had just come out so I had an open incision, a lot of pain and swelling, and I couldn’t even use my hand to wash my hair. I was scared to move pads, chalk up, and spot. I was scared to climb.

For better and for worse, we experienced nearly 2 weeks of rain over the month, climbing 13 days out of 30. For my finger, it was probably ideal to have forced rest. I made some conscious and crucial mindset shifts over the last 6 weeks that enabled me to come away with one of my most successful and fun climbing experiences ever. Most of all, I’m extremely proud of myself and my little pinky."

Alexandra Miroslaw from Poland, who set two world records [6.21 and 6.06] during the first two rounds, won the gold in Speed in Paris. In the semifinal, she ran the 15-meter wall in 6.19 beating Alexandra Kalucka from Poland with 0.15 seconds. In the final, she got 6.10 winning over 6.18 by Deng Lijuan from China. Complete results