Yannick Flohé topped out all five boulders in eight attempts and won his group ahead of Kokoro Fujii who needed four attempts more. The other group had harder boulders and there Hamish McArthur won by doing three boulders in six tries. In the end, you needed a score of 23 to make it to the semifinal in the group of harder boulders and a score of 35 in the group with a bit easier boulders. In total, 39 participants, out of 99, did not get one zone. The chief route setter, Marcin Wszolek from Poland, says he was surprised by the difference in the group as their aim was that equally many tops in both groups. "We thought the hardest two boulders in each group would be done by six climbers and then that twelve should do the next two hardest followed by 20 for the easiest one. Sometimes we make mistakes but sometimes it is just coincidences. For example, Tomoa Narasaki did not do his easiest boulders but the three hardest."

The route setter team have been working long days since Sunday and when everyone was leaving the venue 21.30 they started to take down the ten qualification boulders before setting up and readjusting the four female semifinal boulders.

“It was a hard competition – said Flohé to IFSC – each boulder with its difficulty, I reached all the tops quite fast, so I am satisfied. The first boulder was a steep one and not a slab one! And that was something unusual. I reached the first top and then I followed the flow”. On his part, Fujii said: “It was a great competition, I did not feel complete control of my body at top 4, but then it was fine”.

Japan dominated as they always have had the last few years with six guys making it to the semi and Germany was runner-up with four. The Japanese coach talked about, "position to position", "power inpuls" and "team atmosphere" as explanations for their success. (More about this as a follow-up). Slovenia will not have any males in the semifinal on Saturday but all their team of five was Top-45. Complete results

Natalia Grossman was first out starting in fresh conditions at 9 am, flashing all five problems with ease. Later, seven other girls topped out all qualification problems and in the end, you had to score 35 (3 T 5z) in 4 respectively 5 attempts to make it to the final. Later during the day, the lower-ranked boulderers had to fight higher temperatures and one-third of the 79 participants did not make any Top. In the end, all big names made it to the semi and Japan got five girls Top-21. Brooke Raboutou and Oriane Bertone did not participate, the latter due to a finger injury, but both plan to compete in Innsbruck. Complete results

Team Ukraine has five boys and three girls doing the Brixen World Cup. Jenya Kazbekova is missing out, party, due to the injury she got in Salt Lake City but her family is represented by her parents, who are the coaches. They have all stayed abroad for several months and they plan to remain in Europe.

- Previously, we could just stay three months without a visa but now, due to the war, we can stay up to two years, says Fedir Samoilov and he continues. We are refugees and get 300 Euros every month from the German state. When we travel by train we just show our passport valid as a ticket in Germany, Austria and Italy.

- When we show the passport, we often hear comments like, "We support Ukraine", which is nice to hear says Sergei Topishko. We are really thankful for all support and it feels many would like to offer support and that people care about Ukraine.

Fedir continues, everyone is nice to us and most of the time we do not need to pay for training in gyms, competing or even for a place to stay.

- Here in Brixen, we stay in two different places from employees of Vertical-Life, out of which one is actually from Ukraine, says Serik Kazbekov. He was one of the best Combined competition climbers in the world during the 90'ies. In total, he made podiums eight times in Boulder or Lead and in 1993, he got the silver in the Speed World Championship.

Nico Pelorson, who did his first 9a+ this spring, reports on Insta that he has done Jungle Boogie (9a+) in Céüse. The French has previously done also nine 9a's but it is actually in bouldering where he is most impressive having done; Soudain seul (9A), No Kpote Only (9A) and Le pied à coulisse (8C+). It should be mentioned that Nico's personal grade on them are; 8C+, 8C/+ and 8B+. (c) Sam Bie

How was the process taking it Jungle Boogie?
I tried it last year during the summer without succes. My endurance for doing these 30 super hard moves was definitely lacking... This year, I did more routes and less bouldering due to the fact I was living in Marseille.

What are your summer plans?
I need to work all this summer...😔so I will work and train in Fontainebleau all the summer.

So what are your autumn plans after that?
I hope I will finish La Dura Dura this winter but before a lot of hard projects in Fontainebleau for the autumn (: some really really hard stuff 🤗. And keep trying "Le Bombé Bleu" this winter (which is a 40 year old project in Buoux).

Have you done all moves?
Still not the first move. It is a jump from a one-finger pocket to a 2 finger pocket. Pretty sure it is not 9c. I think it could take only one week for someone strong like Megos or Ondra.

Akiyo Noguchi, who got the bronze in Tokyo, reports on Insta that she has done in Little Cottonwood Canyon (UT). Her send, which just took a couple of tries, starts 5.40 in this video. (c) Albert Ok

Akiyo is one of the most successful female competition climbers in history. Between 2008 - 2019, she won the Boulder World Cup four times and got runner-up six times. Five times she has made the podium in Boulder World Championships. In Lead World Cups, she has made the podium ten times, including in her last Lead WC in 2021. Noteworthy is also her competition career started off in 2005, at age 15, when she got her only bronze in a Lead World Championship, in her first-ever senior IFSC event. After getting the bronze in the Tokyo Olympics she retired from the competition scene and got married to Tomoa Narasaki. Here is a great video - The Story of Akiyo Noguchi. Together with Tomoa and some friends, they have started a youtube channel and her is the latest video.

Mel Janse van Rensburg, African Champion in both Lead and Boulder last year, has done Speed Integral (9a) in Voralpsee. "Lets go!!! After falling twice near the top yesterday and in the extension today I didn't think I had another go in me, but somehow the 22ish day siege is over. What a route and what a journey." (c) Gus in Boven

The 20-year-old South African did his first 8c at age 16 although he begun climbing being 13 and had a personal best of 7a until he turned 15.

Did you do all the 22 sessions only in 2022?
No, about 6 in 2020, 12 in 2021 and 4 this year.

How come you are travelling from SA almost every year ticking your hardest climbs in France or Switzerland?
I've got family in France, so I've been coming to Europe almost every year.

What are your summer plans?
Turning into a comp climber for the next 2 months. Going to be doing Innsbruck and Villars WC then World Games in the USA.

More info on Rakchham. "Currently there are 14 different sectors around the village of Rackchham with more than 400 problems from 5A to 8C." Bernd Zangerl, also one of the pioneers in Magic Wood and Ticino, says the potential is endless and he should know, having been in the Indian valley 13 times since 2011.

Michaela Kiersch was #22 in her Boulder World Cup debut in 2010 at age 15 and the next year she was #18 in a Lead World Cup. Her competition career did not take off and instead, she focused on outdoors and University studies. At age 21 she did her first 8c and 8c+. In total, the 27-year-old has done nine 8c+' and last fall she did her first 9a, after just five days of projecting. In April she got her doctoral degree in hand therapy and did directly go for her first extended long trip only focusing on climbing, which began with the Petzl Roc Trip. Switching to bouldering and Magic Wood she has significantly stepped up her game sending two 8B+ and another 12 boulders 8A and harder in just three weeks.

In other words, Michaela's combined route and boulder tick list is one of the most impressive of all time and she is the only female that has sent a 9a as well as an 8B+ during the last year.

How did you start climbing and how were the first years?
I officially began rock climbing around age 7, but I was a climber from a much younger age. Before I could walk, I was climbing out of my baby crib. Soon after, I was climbing trees, fences, buildings - anything I could get my hands on. My parents signed me up for classes at a local climbing gym and I haven’t stopped since. My first competition was within my first few months of climbing and I placed 2nd of 2. I was motivated to keep improving and my love for the sport only grew. I became more serious about my climbing around age 10, when I signed up to train with a competitive team. We had practice 3 days per week and competitions on the weekend. As a teenager, I developed a very tight-knit community within climbing. All of my friends climbed and trained at a high level and we pushed each other to improve. I loved the camaraderie, travelling, and being able to spend time outside.

What were your best competition results and why did you not pursue that career?
I have won nationals for lead and bouldering as a youth competitor and also placed as high as 5th at the youth world championships. I also have competed on the US Team in all three disciplines. Ultimately, competitions are not my passion and I really love climbing outside.

Which were your first hard sends you remember and what did they mean to you?
My first 8b+ was Omaha Beach in the Red River Gorge (at age 17). In the US, climbing 5.14 feels like a benchmark. It was a goal that as a child I couldn’t imagine ever achieving. It pushed me to reevaluate my dreams in a positive way. The Red River Gorge also holds a special place in my heart as it is the area I went to most frequently growing up.

How has your climbing been scheduled during the last seven years when you have been at the university?
It was hard to follow a consistent training routine while studying. My climbing fluctuated heavily depending on my assignments and exams. It forced me to develop excellent time management skills and get the most out of shorter climbing sessions. Each year I was able to perfect the balance a little bit more. It really helps me to have goals or trips that I am looking forward to. My motivation dwindles if I feel like I am just training with no objective in sight. Usually, those trips would take place during my breaks from classes.

Did you follow any structured regime or did you just climb?
My sessions focused on projecting the newest set of boulders at the gym, climbing on the Moonboard, and using training specific tools like hangboards or campus boards. I structured each session depending on my current goals. When my sessions were only an hour-long it was important to plan the training in order to maximize the potential results. I climbed between 3-5 days a week for about 1-3 hours each day.

How is it realizing that you have become one of the best female combined boulder and route climbers in history?
It feels surreal to accomplish goals that I had previously been afraid to admit to myself. I am motivated to continue my growth as a climber and person for the rest of my life.