IFSC Climbing World Cup boulder & speed Seoul: Preview, schedule and how to watch
After shocks and surprises in the season opener in Hachioji, the sport climbing World Cup heads to Seoul where boulder and speed competitions are on the schedule. Find out everything you need to know about the upcoming World Cup in Republic of Korea.
Sport Climbing
The second round of this year’s sport climbing World Cup takes place from 28-30 April, as the action visits Seoul in Republic of Korea.
As well as a second outing for boulder specialists, the Seoul World Cup will see the first competition of the season for speed climbers, including fan favourites and world record holders Kiromal Katibin of Indonesia and Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw.
Last week’s boulder competition in Hachioji served up some memorable performances, with the USA’s Brooke Raboutou claiming her maiden title in the women’s competition as world champion Natalia Grossman failed to make it past the semi-finals.
In the men’s, French 18-year-old Mejdi Schalck took top honours, as a podium of teenagers including Belgium’s Hannes van Duysen and another French climber Paul Jenft held off the challenges of the home favourites, including Kokoro Fujii of Japan.
The World Cup in Seoul is the second of 13 meets this year, as climbers from across the globe fight for the world title and the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Read on to discover where the speed climbing World Cup takes place, who to look out for and how you can watch the action live.
Where will the IFSC Climbing World Cup in Seoul take place?
This weekend’s action takes place in the Korea Alpine Federation Stadium 2, in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
All of the speed action takes place on day 1 (Friday 28 April) including the qualification rounds and the finals. The boulder begins on Saturday 29 April with qualification, while the finals take place a day later on Sunday 30 April.
Stars to watch at the IFSC Climbing World Cup in Seoul
Both the men’s and women’s speed competition in Seoul will feature a reigning world record holder. Much will be expected of speed sensation Kiromal Katibin who has lowered the world record on six occasions since May 2021. The current mark of 5.00 seconds would have been unthinkable just two years ago, but this season there is the very real prospect of him breaking what has been described as climbing’s “four-minute mile”.
Katibin is unlikely to have everything his way though, as friend and training partner Veddriq Leonardo - himself the former world record holder - will be hoping to challenge for the win. Both have stated their dream of winning gold next year in Paris and, at this point in time, it’s hard to look past them.
In the women’s competition, two-time and reigning world champion Aleksandra Miroslaw is the top pick for victory. Over the past two years, she has set three world records, with her latest mark being the 6.53 seconds she achieved in May 2022.
Also watch out for the USA’s Emma Hunt, who sits second in the world ranking, and Miroslaw’s compatriot **Natalia Kalucka. **They will all have their eyes on victory in the capital of Republic of Korea.
The first round of the boulder World Cup threw up some big surprises in winners Schalck and Raboutou, who will both now be viewed as among the favourites to repeat in Seoul.
However, you just can’t count out the talent of the Japanese contingent in the men’s competition this weekend as the world’s top three-ranked boulder specialists, Yoshiyuki Ogata, Kokoro Fujii and Tomoa Narasaki take aim at the podium.
All eyes will also be on Grossman after her disappointing showing in Hachioji, as she attempts to show that blip won’t have an effect on the rest of her season.
IFSC Climbing World Cup boulder and speed Seoul schedule
(UTC+9:00)
Friday 28 April
12:15: Speed qualifications
20:00: Speed finals
Saturday 29 April
9:00: Women’s boulder qualification
15:30: Men’s boulder qualification
Sunday 30 April
11:00: Boulder semi-finals
18:00: Men’s boulder final
19:30: Women’s boulder final
How to watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup boulder and speed Seoul
Live coverage of the action is available on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com (territorial restrictions may apply).
It will also available via International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) partner broadcasters and their YouTube Channel.