Natalia Grossman continues World Cup boulder dominance with win in Brixen
The American claimed her fourth straight event this season after battling out against Germany's Hannah Meul, while Chinese rookie Luo Zhilu earned a surprise third place.
Sport Climbing
Natalia Grossman continues her impressive 2022 season in the International Federation of sport climbing (IFSC) Boulder World Cup by taking her fourth win in a row.
The reigning world champion claimed the women's event in Brixen, Italy, the fifth stage of the international circuit, on Saturday (11 June), as she edged out Germany's Hannah Meul after an intense head-to-head battle.
Grossman flashed three out of four blocs in the women's final and with four tops and four zones she took her sixth IFSC World Cup gold medal to date. Meul matched the American's score but she placed second for using one more attempt.
"It felt really good to compete without pressure again, because in Salt Lake I had a lot of pressure," Grossman told IFSC.
"Hannah definitely kept me on my toes the whole final round so that was kind of fun dealing with the pressure, but I’m glad I was able to keep it together."
In the opening event of the season in Meiringen, Switzerland, the American finished second behind Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Janja Garnbret, who has since stepped away from competition.
16-year-old Luo Zhilu of China made a spectacular World Cup debut by finishing in third after reaching two tops and four zones.
Olympic silver medallist Nohaka Miho of Japan missed out on the podium with one top and four zones.
The men's Boulder final at the IFSC World Cup in Brixen takes place on Sunday (12 June) at 19:00 local time.