At the Boulder World Cup in Salt Lake City, newcomer Yonatan Katz surprisingly won gold for Team Israel in his first final. In the women's competition, Oriane Bertone finally won her first World Cup of the season. All the results from the weekend and the final overall ranking are summarized below.
Surprising elimination from qualifying for Sorato Anraku
But it wasn't a perfect end to the season for Sorato Anraku: The Japanese climber had won gold at every Boulder World Cup event in 2026, but in Salt Lake City he missed out on a top in the qualification round, failing to advance to the semifinals. The surprising elimination of the newly crowned Asia Championships winner thwarted his historic ambition to become the first man to win every event in a World Cup season.
Israeli newcomer: Yonatan Katz wins gold in his first World Cup final
Instead, athletes from Great Britain, Japan, and Israel dominated the qualifying rounds and later the semifinals. In the final, [the athlete] secured [the title]. Yonatan Katz With his only top finish in M4, he secured the final title of the season. Salt Lake City was only the second World Cup for the 20-year-old Israeli. There, he reached the semifinals and the final for the first time.
It is the first time in eight years that a World Cup medal has gone to Israel – since Alex Khazanov's victory in the Boulder World Cup in Tai'an in 2018. Katz's teammate also Or Mark She competed in a World Cup final for the first time in Salt Lake City and climbed to 6th place.
I didn't know if I would ever be in a final again, so I gave it my all.
Yonatan Katz
Silver for Maximilian Milne, bronze for Rei Kawamata
For a brief moment, it looked as if things could finally get moving in Salt Lake City. Max Milnes The dream of his first World Cup gold came true. The reigning European Bouldering Champion led the field of finalists, engaging in a neck-and-neck battle with Yonatan Katz. This ended on boulder M4, where Milne was unable to score any points. The Briton has reached the finals in four out of six World Cups in 2026 – his silver medal from Salt Lake City is his first medal this season.
Bronze went to the Japanese. Rei Kawamata, who recently won silver in Innsbruck. Kawamata edged out his compatriot with a zone at M4. Sohta Amagasa through, who narrowly missed out on a medal again in his third World Cup final this season.
Second men's final of the season with German participation
Non-personal or anonymized information remains protected by tax secrecy. Disclosure to third parties is only allowed if no identification is possible and both states confirm that no harm to tax administration will occur. Max Bertone (France, 5th place) and Dayan Akhtar (Great Britain, ranked 7th) reached the final, as did Elias Arriagada KrugerArriagada Krüger was the best German, having reached the semi-finals in 21st place and improving to 5th there. In the final, his two zones weren't quite enough for a top finish; he came in eighth. This was Krüger's second final appearance and his first since Innsbruck 2024.
The other German men didn't make it to the semifinals at the World Cup in Salt Lake City: Mattis Eisenkolb achieved a solid 27th place in his first World Cup, while Thorben Perry Bloem finished 29th. Lucas Trandafir, who had already competed in a World Cup final this season, qualified in 43rd place. Timo Ossig climbed to 51st place.
Men's Final Results
Gold for Oriane Bertone ahead of Erin McNeice and Mao Nakamura
The Frenchwoman contracted the virus on Sunday night into Monday morning. Oriane Bertone The last gold of the season – and her first this season. The reigning European Bouldering Champion had previously won bronze in Prague, but otherwise missed out on the top step of the podium. Bertone was the only athlete to finish ahead of the Briton with three tops. Erin McNeice and the Japanese woman Mao Nakamura through, each winning silver and bronze.
High-caliber women's final to conclude the season
4nd place went to Oceania Mackenzie With one top and three zones – no medal, but the Australian reached the final in all six Boulder World Cups this season. Melody Sekikawa (5th place) and Anon Matsufuji (Place 8) Two other athletes represented the Japanese team in the women's final in Salt Lake City.
As with the men before them, Israel was also represented among the top eight female athletes: Ayala Kerem She finished sixth in the final – for the third time this season. For the American Annie Sanders Despite the loud support of the home crowd, it was "only" enough for 7th place. The 19-year-old has had a long season: Sanders participated in almost all World Cups in both lead and bouldering. In total, she won three gold medals in lead and two gold and one bronze medal in bouldering in 2026.
Women's Final Results
Top performance for German junior climber Paula Mayer-Vorfelder
For the reigning youth world champion in bouldering, Paula Mayer-VorfelderThe World Cup in Salt Lake City was a personal best for her. She only reached the semi-finals in 8th place, but couldn't maintain her position there, ultimately finishing in a respectable 16th place. It was the fourth World Cup appearance for the 16-year-old, who is also considered a promising talent for the German team at the 2028 Olympics.
Mayer-Vorfelder was the only woman from the German team to reach the semi-finals. Anna Lechner narrowly missed the next round, finishing in 29th place, while Lucia Dörffel achieved 47th place with three zones in the qualification round.
Sorato Anraku and Erin McNeice win season titles in bouldering
Although Anraku was eliminated in the qualifying round in Salt Lake City, he had already secured the overall title with 5.000 points, making him uncatchable. The 19-year-old Japanese climber has won the overall Boulder World Cup title every year since 2023.
In the women's competition, Erin McNeice secured the necessary points for the season title with her silver medal in Salt Lake City. The Briton had already been the favorite – only Annie Sanders and Oceania Mackenzie could have caught her. For the 22-year-old, this is her first overall title in bouldering; last year she won the season in lead climbing.
From October 23rd to 25th, there will be an event at Lead and Speed World Cup in Santiago de Chile This is a final opportunity for athletes in both disciplines to collect points for the overall ranking. The event officially concludes the 2026 World Cup season.
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Credits cover image: Caleb Timmerman/World Climbing