Picture by 2022 Getty Images
World champion Jakob Schubert pumped his fist as he made his final descent to the deafening cheers of his home crowd.
Austria's king of World Cup lead-climbing had walked up to the wall as the final act, and lived up to his billing by winning his pet event in Innsbruck on Sunday (30 June).
While Schubert provided the fireworks in the men’s competition, Janja Garnbret underlined her status as the undisputed superstar of women’s sport climbing as she added lead victory to her boulder triumph on Thursday.
Competing in reverse order after topping the standings in the semi-finals, Schubert needed to improve on German Alexander Megos’ impressive effort of 42+.
Five climbers followed Megos and as each approached the wall, the German no doubt shifted nervously in his seat. But as each effort fell short, Megos’ grin turned into a smile and was sitting pretty in first place by the time Schubert stepped out.
Schubert had some nervous moments on the wall, but prevailed to relegate Megos to second place and claim another World Cup gold medal with a score of 45.
“This route today was exceptionally special because it was such a crazy fight from halfway up. With every move, I felt I was going to fall,” Schubert told IFSC afterwards.
“I might not have been the best fighter on this route but I was the best fighter and it would only have been possible with the crowd at my back. It was so crazy loud when I stuck that move up there and I immediately knew that was probably the victory.”
In the women’s competition, Garnbret has not missed a beat since taking a brief hiatus from competitive climbing.
The Slovenian star skipped the Salt Lake City World Cup at the beginning of May and made a winning return this week winning both the boulder and lead titles.
The reigning Olympic champion had claimed victories in the World Cup boulder and lead openers in the People's Republc of China apiece in April.
She came into the final in Innsbruck practically on even terms with Japan's reigning lead world champion Mori Ai after they both finished on 48+ in the semi-finals.
Mori was in fine form with the 20-year-old making it past the midsection of the test which claimed four victims earlier in the final. Once she made it past the danger zone, Mori cruised to the top of the route to lay down the challenge to Garnbret.
Despite showing signs of fatigue, Garnbret battled her way up the route. And she demonstrated her mental strength as she clipped the draw at the top with two seconds to spare. With both she and Mori reaching the summit, the eight-time world champion took the title on countback, courtesy of her superior showing in qualification.
"Every single win means a lot to me because I have both feet on the ground and take nothing for granted. So I always need to be focused," said Garnbret, who will skip the next World Cup competition in Chamonix in a fortnight's time in preparation for Paris 2024.
Related content