Once again the Japanese dominated the boulder qualification with eight guys within Top-14 and a total of nine to the Top-20 semifinal. In the Top-10, there were only Germans and Slovenians accompanying the Japanese. Complete results The Boulder WC in Munich is the seventh and last in the WC 2018. Jernej Kruder leads four points ahead of Tomoa Narasaki so pretty much who wins the battle, if they are Top-9, will be the overall champion. Noteworthy is that 126 athletes competed but only one third managed to do more than one boulder. As many as 29 did a maximum of one zone. Live-streaming of semi and final 12.00 and 18.20.

Gabri Moroni, who was #18 in the Munich Boulder WC, has done Martin Keller's Highlander in Sustenpass giving it a personal 8B+ grade.

The medal table for Lead and Bouldering from the Youth World Championship in Moscow says it all; Japan 5 - 1 - 6 Slovenia 1 - 3 - 1 France 1 - 2 - 2 USA 2 - 0 - 0 Complete medal table including Speed. Also last year the Japanese juniors dominated and the big question is what they are doing differently? Based on what their senior coaches, who are almost as successful, as well as talking to some of the best youngsters, we know that Japan training sticks out with minimum structured and complementary physical training. Basically, their focus is mainly just challenging, with a great team spirit, boulders and routes in different gyms around Tokyo. Structured and complimentary physical training is, beside yoga and stretching etc, almost non-existing. Instead, they focus on doing boulders in a group meaning they concentrate on technical and tactical training. Noteworthy is that this was the same success recipe that Adam Ondra used when he was a teenager. It should be noted that runner-up when it comes to medals is Slovenia with just two million inhabitants. They are known for their structured training so obviously there are different possibilities for success.

"Hollywood ending!" The IFSC live-streaming commentator summarizes The Moscow Youth World Championship just after it has finished with two great Tops by Collin Duffy and Natsuki Tanii. Colin, who also won last year in a spectacular show, got four straight Tops and Natsuki did win also in Bouldering in Moscow. (c) Eddie Fowke 1. Natsuki Tanii JPN - Colin Duffy USA 2. Nika Potapova UKR - Thomas Podolan AUT 3. YueTong ZHang CHN - Kentaro Maeda JPN Complete results

Daniel Jung started working on The Recovery Drink in 2012 together with Nico Favresse. Next year he was back when Nico did the FA and also in 2015 and 2017 he made long trips up to the remote Jössingfjord in Norway but no success. This year he was back and some holds broke, making it slightly harder. In the end he had to extend his trip with another four days, before taking down the possibly hardest trad route in the world. As Favresse, Daniel avoids giving a grade but what we know is that the German had to struggle at least as hard for when he did his two 9a+', La Rambla and Coruna. Did you train specifically for doing the Recovery Drink? After the first trip I did some stretching, I was struggling with one move, because I was too stiff. Also I set some volumes on a steep wall of our bouldering gym, Schlüsselstelle. I trained to rest in steep open handjams, that was really good to do. For my last trip, I just new that it is good to arrive with lots of power endurance. So I trained on long boulderproblems, mainly in the night, because it was too hot before 22:00. To train during the summer heat was a hard time. What made this route so important so you did go back for three long dedicated trips? The most important is to send my long time projecting in a beautiful place on a perfect wall. So the Jössingfjord fitted very well. Also, I was sure that I would be able to climb it. The process took a while, but why giving up when I feel close? Also I‘m very bad in giving up! How does it compare also grade wise to the hardest sport routes you have done? I really can’t compare the route, it’s an unique style, a totally different cup of tea compared to what I did before.

Fanatic-Climbing reports that Julia Chanourdie, #4 in the Lead WC last year, has done La cabane au Canada 9a in Rawyl. In total, she just needed ten tries to do her thrid 9a which Adam Ondra onsighted in 2013. "This ascent was important for me. My international lead competition season is over and stopped early, so it was hard to fix new goals. Since my first day in Rawyl, pleasure to go climbing was back and a new goal with. I currently have no idea about the next route, but why not one step harder?”"

Isabelle Faus has done Quintessential 8B in Rocklands. © Chad Greedy In total, she has now done 47 boulders 8A+ to 8B+ and she is runner up in the female ranking game. "Psyched! Also I did Steak House 8A+ the other day! Not a crazy hard boulder but way outta my style so I’m pretty psyched about it... Gonna try and continue my theme of classic boulders still unclimbed by women."

Brooke Raboutou and Hidemasa Nishidi are the Youth A Lead World Champions. Hidemasa is the only one in Moscow who topped all four routes and he actually cruised the final route. Two weeks ago, the 15 year old was #11 in the Arco WC. Last year Brooke was #9 in a Lead WC and #10 in a Boulder WC. 1. Brooke Raboutou USA - Hidemasa Nishidi JPN 2. Futaba Ito JPN - Luka Potocar SLO 3. Sandra Lettner AUT - Katsura Konishi JPN Complete results (c) Eddie Fowke Interesting is that Alberto Gines, who was #7 in the last WC in Arco, was #5 and Laura Rogora was #6. The level in this category is extremely high and anybody in the final seems to also be able to be Top-15 also in the World Cup.

Meichi Narasaki took his second gold in Moscow in another great show where he skipped the second last hold and made a huge dyno to the last hold. Vita Lukan, bronze in boulder, won among the female with a nice and smooth style. 1. Vita Lukan SLO - Meichi Narasaki JPN 2. Nolwenn Arc FRA - Jakub Konecy CZE 3. Nina Arthaud FRA - Kai Harada JPN Complete results (c) Eddie Fowke The Juniors competed on the same route as the Youth A and interesting is that among the boys, the younger category had equal or better results among the Top-6 ranked.