United States dominate: Natalia Grossman and Sean Bailey top the Boulder World Cup
Salt Lake City hosted its second Boulder World Cup in two weeks with the United States continuing its emergence as a sport climbing powerhouse with gold in both the men's and women's competition
Sport Climbing
After a tantalising Speed World Cup - the first of the 2021 season - Salt Lake City, Utah welcomed their second Boulder World Cup in a fortnight.
Much like the Speed, the Boulder competition was at high intensity and full of excitement as the United States dominated the men's and women's competition with Natalia Grossman and Sean Bailey both taking gold.
With sport climbing making its Olympic debut this summer at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, the event in Utah saw 21 Olympic athletes - of the 40 qualified - compete across the three-day competition. Of those Olympic athletes, just four featured in the final of the Boulder competition on Sunday (30 May).
Grossman's perfect finish in Salt Lake City
It was the perfect final for Natalia Grossman, who topped the Boulder World Cup once again in the women's competition. In her third consecutive final, the 19-year-old completed all four problems in four attempts.
Last weekend the American said winning the World Cup was a dream come true but today's victory "doesn't feel real, a dream times two come true".
The California-born athlete was neck-and-neck with Brooke Raboutou, her former training partner during the Boulder World Cup event that took place from 21-23 May at the same venue.
"Honestly going [into the competition] first allowed me to have fun and no pressure the whole time," said Grossman, who secured her third podium finish.
"I think I had a little more confidence this time [after last weekend] but after semis I was feeling pretty wrecked, I didn't know what to expect in finals."
Today's silver medallist Janja Garnbret, who will compete at Tokyo 2020, also completed all the same problems but two slips in the first two boulders denied her the gold. Raboutou, who will also be in the Japanese capital this summer, rounded out the podium with a bronze.
NONAKA Miho, who came away with a bronze in the Speed World Cup on Friday, finished sixth.
Considered one of the most successful athletes on the Bouldering World Cup circuit, the Japanese climber, who will compete in Tokyo 2020, finished sixth and was icing her shoulder after the competition.
First World Cup gold for Bailey
Over in the men's competition, it was Sean Bailey's first World Cup gold medal. The 2021 USA National Bouldering Champion, had finished eighth last weekend, just missing out on the final.
"I don't know," Bailey said when asked how he felt after winning, "I can't even think right now. I just thought this day would ever come and it's crazy that it came."
Japan's FUJII Kokoro (silver) and NARASAKI Tomoa (third) completed the podium with the latter being the only athlete in the men's qualified for Tokyo 2020 to compete in the final.
World record blitz
On Friday (28 May), Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo and Kiromal Katibin set the Speed Climbing World Cup final alight with a new world record set.
Leonardo flew up the 15m wall to set a new time of 5.208 seconds and take gold.
His compatriot Katibin, who was making his World Cup debut, crushed the world record of 6.24 seconds - set by Iran’s Reza Alipourshenazandifar in April 2017 - during the qualification round with a time of 5.258 seconds. During his warm up and practice sessions, the 20-year-old had unofficially broken the world record multiple times.
When the Indonesian pair came up against each other in the final, the 3,000-strong crowd knew they were about to see something spectacular.
Unfortunately, neither climber will feature at Tokyo 2020 this summer - last year's IFSC Asian Championships were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the quota places were re-allocated in accordance with the IFSC qualification system.
In the women's event, Aleksandra Miroslaw of Poland pocketed her fifth World Cup gold but it was 18-year-old Emma Hunt, who took the spotlight, after gifting the USA with their first-ever Speed World Cup medal.
What's next?
With just 53 days left until the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony, there are still four more Climbing World Cup's - Innsbruck (23-26 June), Villars (1-3 July), Chamonix (12-13 July) and Briancon (17-18 July) - where athletes have the chance to get much needed competition time.
Sport climbing at Tokyo 2020 begins with men's combined qualification on 3 August and will wrap up with the women's combined final on 6 August.