For the first time ever I had my two sons (7 & 8) watching a live-streaming from the World Cup. Anyone having kids know that they are totally addicted to internet so they were pleased to swap the book for some additional computer time especially as we had a Swede as #3 from the qualification. We started midways in, to not get them bored but it did not take long until they did not seem so excited and started to ask questions. - Who is in the lead? Will she make it to the final? Which is his result? How far do they need to climb to get to the final? Which hold is 38? Why do they not show the clock or the results on the screen? Unfortunately I had very hard time to answer any of their questions although the results appeared on the screen like every ten minutes but just for few seconds. After a while I started to understand how far you needed to climb for being among the best but I could not explain it to them good enough. Anyhow they waited for Hannes Puman but one climber before more questions came up? - Why do they let the final climbers climb together? If we are unlucky we will not see Hannes at all. Suddenly, in the small screen we see Hannes for few seconds just when he had fallen. One of them get super frustrated meanwhile the older did not pay notice as he already had started to instead play FIFA on his mobile. I told them that I am sure we will see some replay but big No. - This is boring. I go to bed. This is the first time ever in their life as they have turned down computer time and instead said they opted for sleeping! If this would have been the semifinal in the Olympics, I guess 90 % of the million of spectators would have reacted the same as my sons, who are climbers. If just the route setters could have marked every fifth hold with a number and they would have had the results continuously on the screen it would have been so much more exciting and also somewhat understandable.

Matteo Menardi has done hos sixth 9a, Underground in Arco. (c) Marco Menardi "Last week I came to Torbole on holiday with my family, I also had to take two university exams. Since the conditions were quite good, I decided to try Underground. This unique route is split into two parts: the first features dynamic moves and ends with a "power-hungry" boulder problem, which is the crux. After a very good rest, there's the tricky second part, where in my opinion body tension plays a big role, especially at the very end. I tried the route for four days, yesterday I made no mistakes and got to the top."

James Webb keeps delivering in Rocklands and the last week he has done three 8B+’. The Book Club in the great picture by Hanna Donnelly In total Jimmy has now done 105 boulders 8B+ to 8C+ and he is #1 in the ranking game. He is also a superior #1 counting only flashes with 117 8A and harder although he is knows for often giving personal down grades.

Daniel Woods has made another FAs in Brazil, Enter the Wood 8B+ and Direct Hit 8C in Ubatuba. "Left arete of Fortaleza. 7 move v14 (8B+) intro straight into final v11 (8A) sequence of Fortaleza. Amazing movement, powerful, skin friendly." In total, Daniel has now done 26 8C's and 5 8C+'s and in the annual ranking game, he is #2 after Jimmy Webb. (c) Matty Hong

The Top-20 in the Combined ranking will go to the Olympic qualifying event in Toulouse with six sports to Tokyo. However, anyone being Top-7 in the Combined World Championship in Tokyo in august will get the Tokyo ticket and most probably they are not allowed to practice on the Combined format in Toulouse. As this, in fact, is the only event using the exact same format as in Tokyo it could be considered unfair to not allow also the ones who qualified in august. As the maximum quota per country is two, it just might be that it will be good enough to be Top-30, or even Top-35 in theory, in the Combined ranking in order to participate in Toulouse. One dilemma is of course if, let us say Germany got two guys Top-7 in WCH and later one of them get an injury stopping him from participating in the Olympics. Then they the first reserve will get called in and in such case it would not be fair to not let also the third French male participating in Toulouse if having qualified. From the first combined ranking we can see that Adam Ondra is missing since he has not yet done two Speed and Lead events. Interesting to see that in the female ranking, there are five Speed specialists among the Top-25.

Katie Lamb has during the last ten days flashed two 7C+' as well as redpointed two 8A+'. In the picture we see Mind Matters in Guanella Pass and the next week she did No More Greener Grasses in Mt Evans. "Topping out about 10 seconds before a downpour made for a wet, yet spicy time! Arriba! 3rd try from the bottom? Right in my wheelhouse. My friends Stick “Brian” Nuggels and Liam “A-Bulldog” gave me momentum for a big day at Guanella Pass because Stick is The Greatest Flasher and has the “Big Stick Energy”. With my friends near I felt the Power of strong belief and positive thought wave frequencies. I was like “go go go” and made a flash on Toxic Shock Low and Crimping Matters, both 7C+, my first flashes at the grade. The friendship and happiness was really in the air now, and I turned to the big show, Mind Matters (8A+).

Davide Picco has done his fourth 9a, Biologico in Arco. Interesting is that the Italian started climbing at 19 and then in just three years he reached 8b and after six years he did his first 9a. "As for the fast progress I've been climbing for 8 years now, during the first period I used to train twice a week, but then the number increased to 6/7 because I really much liked the sport, sort of addictive. I mainly train indoors on intense endurance circuits of 25 movements or so, but I also like pure power sessions on training boards or on pan gullich."

The Speed Highlights video from Chamonix starts with the small final where both the female fall. According to the rule, then the winner should be the one with the best qualification time = Aries Susanti. Instead it was decided that they should have a re-run and then Aleksandra Kalucka got the bronze. "3) where both competitors record the same time or neither competitor records a valid time (other than where a False Start has occurred): a) the competitor with the highest (best) qualification ranking; or b) if both competitors have the same qualification ranking, the relevant race shall be re-run;"