Aidan Roberts reports on Insta that he has done the first repeat of Shawn Raboutou's Alphane 9A at Chironico. The 21-year-old has previously done a handful of 8C's and his hardest is Isles of Wonder Sit 8C+. Five years ago he won a Euro Youth Cup and his best result among the seniors is #19.

"Alphane however, was a pleasure throughout. Every day of effort, on rock or replica, felt to bear fruit with lessons of subtleties in movement, intricacy of holds and optimising mindset. I’ve got nothing but positive memories surrounding this climb and lots of days sharing methods with friends. It feels as though every session has been a success, almost a shame that there won’t be more to come!"

Oriane Bertone won the Boulder event in the Combined qualification in Morioka WC with 99.3 points as she needed eleven attempts to complete all four boulder problems valued at 25-points a piece. The runner-up was Natalia Grossman with 84.7 points followed by Brooke Raboutou 84.5 points. However, if this would have been a Bouldering World Cup, Brooke, who needed only four attempts for the three tops she did, would have been ranked ahead of Natalia who needed five attempts.

In other words, how the IFSC has ranked boulderers in World Cups for 20+ years no longer applies to Boulder & Lead World Cups.

Let us, for argument's sake, say that later Natalia, in the Lead event, makes it to the second to last hold getting 96.0 and then Brooke dynos to the Top jug but cannot hold the swing, meaning she gets 96.1 points. Overall, Natalia beats Brooke with 0.1 points although Brooke has climbed better in both disciplines, see the calculation below.

Natalia 3T4Z 5 attempts: 84.7 points + 96.0 points = 190.7 points
Brooke 3T4Z 4 attempts: 84.5 points + 96.1 points = 190.6 points

In the men's division a similar point scoring scenario has played out where Taisei Homma was ranked #8 but using the Boulder World Cup scoring, he would have been #6.

Thus far, the new 0.1 points Combined scoring rule has had no impact on the overall result as the Lead score differed enough for this scenario to not come into play, but the risk of such an outcome remains.

Delphine Chenevier has done Viande de Crison (8b+) inSatan. Previously in 2022, the 47-year-old has done 30 routes 8a to 8b including ten onsights and flashes. In 1999, she was #6 in a Boulder WC. (c) Tata LaCuvette

Could you tell us about your climbing background?
I was on the French climbing team when I was young, I did my first 8b more than 20 years ago. Sometimes I climbed less when I had some intense professional work period but I always keep the motivation and maintain a level in the 8th grade.

How have you managed to climb 8b+ and pull off a PB at age 47?
First of all: the motivation and pleasure to climb and push the limits.
Secondly, being realistic and evolving in a style perhaps more adapted to “my age”: less overhang, more based on finger strength. I trained a lot on finger strength on the mini Moonboard I built in our apartment during the covid, but also on mobility, and climbed outside as much as possible with my professional life. I always prefer to go climbing outside on the rock, in short, after work sessions with friends, with a headlamp as we start late after work, rather than climbing a gym.
Thirdly, this year I had a very severe shoulder injury this spring, and I started working with la Fabrique verticale (Olivier Broussouloux and Laurence Guyon), friends, and great climbing coaches. They coached me and helped me to rapidly be back “to business” and even to come back stronger after the injury. Perhaps you should ask them how to train an old woman 😂😂😂

How much are you training/climbing during the week?
It depends on my professional and family life: on the rock 3x times a week (more generally 1/2 day or sometimes a full day during the weekend + a short after-work evening session) and then one more training session during the week

Alex Megos reports on Insta that he has done the first repeat of Ramon Julian Puigblanque's 2013 test-piece, Red Ram (9a+) in Montserat, on his third try.

The last week, he has previously done the FA of The Full Journey 9b and repeated Gancho Perfecto 9a/+ commenting, "I do have to say, it seems weird to see so many holds and footholds "eroding" and getting bigger in the course of only four years." (c) Mario Martinez Munoz

A Ramonet 9a+ on 3rd try is amazing?
Yeah, I was pretty pleased with that, especially because I thought after breaking the hold I might not be able to get up it. I'm in Margalef for the whole time but went to Montserrat for one day for a film project with Tenaya.

How long will you stay in the area and what are the next plans?
I'll stay in Margalef for the rest of the time. The Full Journey was my main goal and it went down in the first week so I have time to check out more stuff 😁👌🏼

IFSC reports, that they together with the Iran Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Federation (IMSCF), "can confirm that Elnaz Rekabi has safely arrived in Tehran, Iran, and is now with her family."

The Iranian National Olympic Committee has also confirmed the news and the statement continues. "A joint meeting took place in Seoul, South Korea, today, between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IFSC, and the Iranian National Olympic Committee, during which the IOC and the IFSC received clear assurance that Ms Rekabi will not suffer any consequences and will continue to train and compete. After the meeting, a phone conversation also took place between her, the IOC, the IFSC, and the Iranian National Olympic Committee." (c) IFSC

The Guardian reports that Elnaz Rekabi was "met by jubilant crowds" when she returned to Tehran this morning. Entering the airport terminal, she was filmed by state television cameras wearing a black baseball cap and a black hoodie covering her hair. She received flowers and repeated what had been posted on Instagram. (c) Iran State Media

"Because I was busy putting on my shoes and my gear, it caused me to forget to put on my hijab and then I went to compete. I came back to Iran with peace of mind although I had a lot of tension and stress. But so far, thank God, nothing has happened."

Upon exiting the airport Rekabi was escorted into a van and her current whereabouts are no longer known. BBC Persia's correspondent, Rana Rahimpour was also quoted today as saying that, "to many people the language used looked like it had been written under duress." There are accounts of other Iranian sports women who have competed abroad without wearing a headscarf in the past coming under pressure from Iranian authorities and being pressed into issuing similar statements. There's also a history of former detainees that have said that they were forced by security forces to make false statements and accounts that were then aired by Iranian state TV.

Laura Rogora reports on Insta that she has done a 2nd go ascent of Roberto Podio's recent 8c+ FA, Vertical Park L1+L2+L3 (8c+) in Collepardo. The day before she did the FA of 80 ghisa 9a. This is an 80-move link-up where she added a traverse bolt in between a short 8b and Unchio L2. The latter is a 60 moves route she made the FA of eleven days ago and thought was a soft 9a. Now the 21-year-old says better beta has been found so Unchio L2 should be considered 8c+.

Ten days ago, she also repeated Adam Ondra's Pungitopo 8c+/9a in Arco on her 4th go. "Perfect rock + amazing moves = one of the best lines in Trentino", she commented on Insta.

Which route did you like the most and which one did you find the most challenging?
The most challenging was definitely 80 ghisa. The one I liked the most was Pungitopo, the line and the rock is outstanding. Even Mental trip is a superb line but unfortunately the rock is not always perfect.

What's next for you?
I will climb in Santa Linya for 10 days at the end of October and then on November 7th, we will start the (Olympic) preparation with the Italian team in the new training center.

Laura has done roughly 20 routes 8c+/9a to 9b and if you factor what she and others have climbed over just the last two years, she is probably among the Top-20 global sport climbers, male or female. She has won two World Cups which puts her in the talented company of other top rock and comp performers, Janja Garnbret and Anak Verhoeven.

Elnaz Rekabi from Iran has been competing actively since 2007 and last year she took the bronze in the Combined World Championship. Last weekend, she was #4 in the Boulder & Lead Championship in South Korea and for the first time in her career, she opted to compete without a hijab. 8a tried to get in contact through her Insta without success. Now The Guardian comes with terrifying news that her friends have been unable to contact her since Sunday.

"The BBC also quoted “well-informed sources” as saying Elnaz Rekabi’s passport and mobile phone had been confiscated before she boarded a plane back to Tehran on Tuesday. The BBC World Service presenter Rana Rahimpour tweeted that “there are concerns about her safety”.

She published an Insta story, with a rather dubious and suspicious explanation, "I firstly apologise for all the concerns I have caused. Due to the timing and sudden call to begin the climb my hijab unintentionally became problematic. I am currently on my way back to Iran alongside the team based on the pre-scheduled timetable."

The IFSC, who has been in contact with Ms Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Federation, has made an official statement that finshes with, "The IFSC fully support the rights of athletes, their choices, and expression of free speech."

Camilla Moroni, who the last three weeks has sent two 8A+, has done Delusion of grandeur (8A+) and Willenberg Dach (8A) in Chironico.

The 21-year-old Italian was #9 in the World Cup this year and in the 8a ranking game she is #6.

How can you explain being in such good shape outdoors lately?
I think for being in a good shape outdoors I really need to climb a few times on rock to gain that tension and finger strength you are not used to training during the comp period, I get stronger on rock just by climbing a lot on this specific style.

The men, making it to the final in the Morioka Combined World Cup, will take a go through three rounds that include 12 boulders and 3 routes in just two days. For the women, the three rounds of the competition will be held over three days instead of two. Several of the best European competitors are missing but Japan (16), USA (7), Korea (7), Germany (6), France (5) and Belgium (4) are fielding sizeable teams.


Thursday, 20 October: (UTC +9:00)
9:00 AM Boulder qualification
2:30 PM Lead qualification

Friday, 21 October:
9:00 AM Boulder semi
12:30 PM Lead semi
6:10 PM Men's Boulder and Lead final

Saturday, 22 October:
2:40 PM Women's Boulder and Lead final