Second World Cup of the season: Moscow is fighting for Olympic points in the disciplines of bouldering and speed

This weekend, not only do the boulderers stop in Moscow, but also the “sprinters of climbing” will show on the speed wall what it means to give full throttle. The entry list shows an increase in the number of participants, especially when it comes to speed: If you want to take part in the 2020 Olympic Games, you also have to pass the speed. That is why you can now find top international boulderers among the athletes who used to not even look at the speed wall in passing.

The outcry was great when it was announced that speed climbing was a compulsory part of the Olympic format. For most climbers, their sport is an expression of the creative movement that can be expressed in both bouldering and rope climbing. On the other hand, there is nothing more standardized than the speed wall: Always the same grip screwed to the wall at 15 meters in the same setting. In the meantime, however, the future Olympians have come to terms with it. And even if, for example Jan Hojer (DAV Frankfurt / Main) writes on Facebook that after that he will never hold a speed grip in his hands again, but he is still working hard on his speed record.

It is climbed in the KO system, that is, two climbers start at the same time on two identical routes. The faster one wins or qualifies for the next round. If you take a look at the overall World Cup winners of the last twenty years, they all come from Eastern countries, where this type of sport already has a long tradition.

The current world record lies with the men at 5,48 seconds, set up by the Iranian Reza Alipourshenazandifar. For the ladies it is a fast 7,32 seconds - by the French Anouck Jaubert.

It's going to be the blocks on Saturday

Ultimately, however, speed climbing is more the hors d'oeuvre before bouldering, which extends over Saturday and Sunday, April 13th and 14th. The Meiringen winners, Janja Garnbret from Slovenia and Adam Ondra from the Czech Republic, will certainly do everything they can to be on top of the podium. But you could already see in Meiringen how extremely close the athletes are to one another.

These athletes send Switzerland, Germany and Austria into the race

The German Alpine Club travels almost to the Russian capital with a maximum number of people: All the athletes from the Olympic Focus Team are in the tour bus: Alma's best father, Hannah Meul (DAV Rheinland-Cologne), Jan Hojer, Alex Megos (DAV Erlangen) and Yannick Flohé (DAV Aachen). They are joined by Afra Hönig (DAV Landshut), who climbed into the semi-finals at the first Boulder World Cup this year - as did Alex Megos. Austria is in the bouldering discipline with twelve athletes and in speed climbing with eight athletes. Switzerland sends Petra Klingler, Sascha Lehmann, Sofya Yokoyama, Nils Favre, Anne-Sophie Koller, Kevin Heiniger, Benjamin Blaser and Andrea Kümin into the race.

Program 2. World Cup Moscow

Friday, 12.4.2019: Speed

  • 13.00 - 16.00 Watch: Qualification Ladies and Men
  • 18.00 - 19.00 Watch: Final Ladies and Gentlemen (Livestream)

Saturday, 13.4.2019: Bouldering

  • 7.30 - 12.30 Watch: Women's Qualification
  • 14.00 - 20.00 Watch: Men's Qualification

Sunday 14.4.2019: Bouldering

  • 10.00:12.15 am - XNUMX:XNUMX pm: Semi-finals women and men (live stream)
  • 17.45pm - 19.00pm: Women's final (livestream)
  • 19.00pm - 20.15pm: Men's final (livestream)

That might interest you - interview with Petra Klingler at the World Cup in Meiringen

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Credits: Image and text passages DAV, SAC and PES

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