Reigning world champ Fujii Kokoro tops men's boulder qualification at the climbing World Cup in Seoul
The four-time World Cup winner leads the standings after the men's qualification event at the second stop of the IFSC - Climbing World Cup in South Korea.
Sport Climbing
Japan's Fujii Kokoro could not have asked for a better start to the IFSC - Climbing World Cup event in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday (7 May).
The reigning world champion topped the men's boulder qualification round at the Jungnang Stadium, with three tops and five zones to book his spot in the semi-finals on Sunday (8 May).
France's Paul Jenft also managed a similar result, but was ranked second as he had a higher number of attempts, while compatriot Mejdi Schalck was third from Japan's Dohi Keita.
Spain's Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Alberto Gines Lopez finished the day fifth with three tops and four zones.
Eight Japanese athletes finished inside the top 20 to advance to the semi-finals, including reigning World Cup champion Ogata Yoshiyuki.
Olympian Chon Jongwon kept the home fans happy, finishing 12th overall, just behind compatriot Lee Dohyun. Great Britain's Maximillian Milne also secured his spot in the semis after finishing 16th overall.
Earlier today, reigning world champion Natalia Grossman and Serbia's Stassa Gejo led the field in the women's event after earning perfect scores in booking their places in the semi-finals.
On Friday, Veddriq Leonardo walked away with his first win of the 2022 speed IFSC World Cup season, setting a new men's world record in qualifying, while the women's world record also fell.
READ MORE: World record tumbles at speed climbing World Cup event
Sport climbing competition format for 2022 season
When sport climbing made its debut at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, each athlete had to compete in boulder, lead, and speed disciplines and their total scores for each event were combined together to determine the winners of one set of medals.
There will be a different format at the Paris 2024 Games, with two separate competitions. The speed event will have its own medals, while lead and boulder will be combined.
Schedule for the remainder of the sport climbing World Cup in Seoul
(Korea Standard Time)
Sunday, 8 May:
11:00 AM Men's and Women's Boulder semifinals
5:00 PM Women's Boulder final
Followed by Men's Boulder final
Be sure to watch and stream the event live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com in some regions.