Marcin Dzienski one the Speed qualification in Moscow but most interesting, from the Olympic perspective, was that Nicolas Collin was surperior among the non-specialists setting a new personal best at 6.67. In total, 40 athletes participated out of which a dozen high class non-speed specialists. Complete results

One can speculate that the Speed results will have unusually low impact who will make it to Tokyo. The reason for this is that relatively many Speed specialists will probably make it to Top-20, meaning possibly two or three of them will make it to the Top-8 final. In other words, the best of the non-Speed specialists will probably end #3 or #4 which with the multiplication format means, this result has much less importance.

Lucie Hrozova, who has 14 medals from Ice WCs, has done her second 8A+, Conquerer in Sklapsko. Video on her Insta. Amazingly, the 32-year-old who has done the possibly hardest mix route in the world, Saphira M15-, started to boulder in May.

"I climbed and competed mostly in ice climbing the last years and a lot of mix and drytooling. Three years ago I had very serious surgery of my shoulder. I needed pitons, reconstruction of labrum, biceps and plastic of cartilage, and since then ice climbing is for me very painfull. As I can't do it (but I still believe I will return one day), I started to do more climbing with fingers instead of ice axes. Last year I managed to send my first 8c. Anyway I had this year again some medical issue with compartment syndrome, and with this syndrom it is very hard to climb routes. In May I started with bouldering. First I started just because I had to, because of the corpartment, but lately I really have found it very nice and I kind of fell in love with it."

Roland Hemetzberger reports on Insta that he has done the FA of Neuron 9a+ in Achleiten. Stefan Fürst bolted it some 25 years ago which has an 8c+ start and then you continue in the exit of an 9a called The Void. The 29-year-old living in Innsbruck has previously done seven routes 8c+/9a or harder out of which five in Achleiten. "After Qui 9a+ this is my hardest route so far."

Roland is also a very accomplished multi-pitch and trad climber always looking for adventures. The picture by Stefan Kühn is from another project. He is also projecting a new multipitch project at Wilder Kaiser which will be harder than WOGÜ 8c which he sent two years ago.

Tiba Vroom, who did her first 8A+ last month, has done Riverbed 8B in Magic Wood. Four months ago she had 7C as her personal best but during the last two months, mainly spent in Magic, she has done eigth boulders 8A and harder. (c) Hannes Kutza

"Best line I've ever tried, what a legendary boulder. So incredibly psyched to get this done! I just felt like I hadn't reached my limit yet in rock climbing so I decided to stay in Magic Wood to try a really hard project. The line Riverbed immediately caught my attention when I saw it for the first time, and when I saw the video of Alex Puccio climbing it I was really inspired and I knew I would enjoy the moves. At first I thought it would be too hard for me now and I needed a lot of time to do it, but when I had worked out all the moves, I saw it becoming possible more and more. I decided to give it my all and try to climb it this trip. In the end I think it was mostly a mental battle and I'm so happy I could pull through and send this dreamline!

Normally I don’t go bouldering by myself, always with my boyfriend and coach, but he couldn’t stay as long unfortunately. But because it was my only chance to climb outdoors with all the corona restrictions and also no competitions I decided to stay by myself in my bus.

The new Speed World Record holder is Iuliia Kaplina with 6.96. The Russian won the qualification in the Euro Championship ahead of Alexandra Kalucka 7.75. Complete results. © Leo Zhukov

Noteworthy is that this was the tenth time Kaplina has set a new WR and that she has won 12 World Cups.

A total of 31 women participated out of which a dozen non-Speed specialists with previous good WC results. Petra Klingler, who has qualified to Tokyo, was the fastest among those with 9.01.

Seb Berthe, who had a personal 8c+ personal best six months ago, reports on Insta that he has done Supercrackinette 9a+ in St Léger. The Belgium is famous for all his big wall adventures around the globe. (c) Julia Cassou Full length interview at Fanatic Climbing.

"It’s my second route in the 9th gr ade, I also climbed “Speed integral” this summer, but may be you missed that because I repeated it very quickly (laugh)! Whatever the grade, it’s all the time incredible to send a route at your limits, with some physical and mental abilities required. After the send, you understand all the things you put together for clipping the anchor. The most complicated the process is, the strongest is the happyness at the end! It’s not the 9th grade which is bringing to me some joy, but the energy I put in the project."

Katie Lamb, who last summer did six 8B's, has done Wet Dream 8A+ in Black Velvet Canyon. In the 8a ranking game, she is #5.

"Wet dream is the most water boulder in the canyon, so I had to be aquatic with my movement - flowing like water, splashing like a whale. During the moment of sending my friends say they felt a flutter in their heart and a twinkle in their eyes. The boulder of my dreams, occupying my every thought. After sending I put all my money on red and also black in the local casino. Now the girls are doing Wet Dreams too :)"

The Moscow Combined Euro Champions starts on Saturday with the Speed qualifications. Based on the Starting List here are the favorites to grab the two Olympic tickets.

1. Sasha Lehmann SUI
2. Jernej Kruder SLO
3. Jakob Konecny CZE
4. Alexsei Rubtsov RUS
5. Hannes Puman SWE
6. William Bosi GBR
7. Fedir Samoliv UKR
8. Nicolas Collin BEL

It should be mentioned that due to the multiplication format, it is most likely that the winner will be one of the guys winning either in Bouldering or Lead. Why Lehmann is ranked above Kruder is that there are more high class boulderers participating and that coincidence play a bigger role i Boulder. In Lead, Lehmann is the big favorite and on paper, only challenged by Konecny, Puman and Fakirianov.

Among the female, Petra Klingler and Vita Luka are big favorites but as Klingler has already qualified to Tokyo and that Slovenia has filled their country quota, Molly Thompson-Smith should have the best chances of making it to Tokyo. Noteworthy, is that also Alexandra Miroslav and Iuliana Kaplina have qualified to Tokyo. Further more, Krasovskaia is the best Speed climber among the non-specialists. If let us say, the Olympians Alexandra Miroslaw and Iulia Kaplina make it to the final, they just might let Elena Krasovskaia win Speed, as this theoretically would increase their chances getting a bronze in Tokyo. Krasovskaia is not a specialist in any discipline meaning that she with the multiplication format is not a threat in Tokyo. There are already four female specialists that have qualified to Tokyo and with Krasovskaia in the starting list, the chances for a female speed medal increases a lot.

0. Petra Klingler SUI*
0. Vita Lukan SLO*
- Covid-19 positive did not go.
1. Molly Smith-Thompson GBR
0. Alexandra Miroslaw* POL
2. Stasa Gejo SER
3. Elena Krasovskaia RUS
4. Chloe Caulier BEL
5. Eliska Adamovska RUS
6. Alma Bestvater GER
0. Iuliia Kaplina* RUS


Today, the registration takes place and it is quite likely that some of the listed athletes will show up changing the conditions. Then, with a competition running for eigth days, it is also about not getting any Covid-19 symptoms. The athletes will have to bring and use their own ropes and they are put into hotel quarantine beside transportation to the arena and competing. At the venue, there are many new IFSC regulations how to act in order to reduce the risk for getting Covid-19. Here are some examples;

"In order to guarantee the same stay in warm up area to all athletes, the first athletes to climb will be allowed, 45 minutes before their supposed climbing time, to move to the warm up area and next athletes will be allowed every 5 minutes. The isolation/holding and warm up area shall be monitored by the IFSC officials.

Athletes shall wear mask in isolation, holding area and generally when social distancing measures cannot be applied. During observation time all athletes and officials shall wear their mask.

Competition Doctor shall test all the registered Athletes and Team Members before they are allowed to enter isolation / holding area: in case of body temperature (checked with a contactless thermometer) > 37.5 C° or in case of symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath, loss of sense of taste/odour, sore throat, cold, aching limbs) Team Members shall not be allowed in.

No handshakes, no hugs, no kissing from athletes or prizegivers shall be allowed."

”I was by myself and yes, it was a bit scary. I practiced it with rope a couple of times. It was tricky but safe. But coming from the bottom I was shaking. So before starting I got back to the car to take more pads and I was always ready to fall properly. A nice process as I felt I had to stay focus also on the fall upthere in the mantle.

Here you have Niky Ceria's Insta comments after having done the second ascent of Jimmy Webb's Ephyra 8C+ in Chironico. The Italian, who also recently did The Story of Two Worlds 8C, has probably done a handfull 8C's but we never know as he the last four years never has included grades on his FAs or repeats.

Karoline Sinnhuber has done her eleventh 8A+ the last year, Black Water in Zillertal. In the 8a ranking game, the former competition climber is #8. "Never thought I would be able to climb this one! Total nemesis boulder due to all the shoulder moves, but somehow it worked out quite well and I'm pretty stoked about it :D comparing to other 8A+ this one felt quite hard." Full video on her Insta. (c) Fabian Leu