IFSC Climbing World Cup Salt Lake City leg two: Preview, schedule and stars to watch

Round two of a doubleheader of sport climbing World Cup competitions in Salt Lake City takes place this weekend, between 27-29 May.

As was the case last weekend, boulder and speed are the two disciplines being competed, and once again the world’s best climbers will battle for victory in the USA.

Can last round’s boulder winners Natalia Grossman and Mejdi Schalck once again rise to the top of a stacked field? Will speed maestros Kiromal Katibin and Aleksandra Miroslaw continue to dominate?

Find out everything you need to know below.

What happened in the last round?

The last round saw a first-ever World Cup win for France’s teenage prodigy Mejdi Schalck in the men’s boulder competition, as the 18-year-old beat off stiff competition from Japanese pair Ogata Yoshiyuki and Kawamata Rei to take gold.

The women’s boulder competition saw home favourite Natalia Grossman named champion, as she achieved four tops on the final. Silver went to her compatriot Brooke Raboutou with Japan's Miho Nonaka taking bronze.

In the men’s speed competition, Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin won gold, while another familiar face topped the women’s competition with Poland’s two-time world champion Aleksandra Miroslaw taking first place.

READ MORE: Natalia Grossman, Mejdi Schalck win boulder finals climbing World Cup titles

Stars to watch this weekend in Salt Lake City

Home fans will be hoping for more of the same in the women’s boulder competition this weekend where the USA’s Grossman and Raboutou delivered a dominant 1-2 for the host nation.

Having also won the previous round in Seoul, Grossman currently sits comfortably atop the boulder rankings with 2805 points compared to France’s Oriane Bertone on 1870. However, another strong performance from Raboutou could see her climb into second position, after her silver last weekend saw her reduce the deficit to Bertone to a mere 75 points.

Also keep a close eye on Serbia’s Stasa Gejo and Italy’s Camilla Moroni who have both made strong starts to the season.

Schalck’s maiden victory at the first of these two Salt Lake City World Cup meets sees him occupy third place in the season’s rankings, displacing Japan’s Fujii Kokoro in the table. However, this weekend represents a great opportunity to put pressure on the two early leaders, Japan’s Ogata Yoshiyuki and Narasaki Tomoa, whose 2300 and 2260 points are marginally more than the French teenager's 2145.

Tomoa tasted victory in the first event of the season, the World Cup in Meiringen, Switzerland, while Ogata has been a model of consistency, placing second in Meiringen, third in Seoul and second again last weekend.

In the speed competition, expect drama once again as Indonesia’s Katibin and Leonardo both vie for the title of world’s best. Katibin currently sits on top of the rankings after the first three events, and set a new world record of 5.17 in Seoul before losing to his compatriot in the final.

In the first Salt Lake City competition, the tables were turned as Katibin claimed victory with Leonardo only managing third. Second place on the day went to the USA’s Noah Bratschi.

In the women’s competition, watch out for Polish star Miroslaw who has made a scintillating start to the World Cup season. She currently sits over 500 points ahead of her closest rival, compatriot Aleksandra Kalucka, on 2000 points. Last weekend saw Polish climbers sweep the podium, with Miroslaw first, and twin sisters Aleksandra and Natalia Kalucka second and third.

READ MORE: Aleksandra Miroslaw, Kiromal Katibin win speed climbing World Cup titles

Schedule for the sport climbing World Cup in Salt Lake City

Friday 27 May

12:15-3:15pm: men's then women's speed qualification
8:00pm: men's then women's speed finals

Saturday 28 May

9:00am-1:30pm: women's boulder qualification
3:30-9:00pm: men's boulder qualification

Sunday 29 May

11:00am-1:15pm: men's and women's boulder semifinals
6:00pm: women's then men's boulder finals

Where to watch the speed climbing World Cup in Salt Lake City?

You can watch all the action from the sport climbing World Cup meets in Salt Lake City on Olympics.com from 27-29 May (geo-restrictions may apply).