Last weekend, the world's top boulderers gathered in Stuttgart's Porsche Arena for the seventh edition of Adidas Rockstars, a climbing competition in which 80 invited athletes from 25 nations meet music and 3800 fans.
The best boulderers of the season will be invited to Adidas Rockstars. This year's starter field was the best ever in the history of the event. All reigning World and European Champions, the overall World Cup winners of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 as well as almost all Top 10 placed athletes of this year's Boulder World Cup competed in Stuttgart.
Zlagboard Contest and VR experience for visitors
The spectators were offered a colorful program, which also invited to participate. Including a Rockstars Challenge, a Zlagboard Contest and a climbing experience with 3D goggles, where you could virtually commit a demanding multi-pitch route on Corsica.
Exciting qualification
Highlights of the qualifying round included the outstanding performances of Makoto Yamauchi (JPN) and Ekateria Kipriianova (RUS), the winners of the national Adidas Rockstars events in Tokyo and Moscow. Both climbers qualified for the semi-final. Kipriianova finished 8 in the end, Yamauchi even moved into the final and finished fifth.
Petra Klingler started despite injury in the semifinals
The semi-finals, which were broadcast live for the first time, were also exciting and eventful due to the top-class routes. The reigning world champion Petra Klingler (SUI) impressed the audience because she climbed all four boulders despite a foot injury and with visible pain. Petra couldn't resist: "The problems just looked so cool that I really wanted to try them." The 8-strong international route-building team, led by the French Laurent Laporte, had set extremely aesthetic and fascinating routes in all three rounds of the competition.
Endurance was needed in the super final
This year's Women's Super Final was a stamina battle between Adidas Rockstars winner 2012, Alex Puccio (USA) and last year's winner Janja Garnbret (SLO). Both needed several attempts to decrypt the boulder problem and find the right sequence leading to the top. In the end it was Puccio who still had enough strength to boulder through the heavy lower part to the topout and push the buzzer in front of Garnbret.
In the Superfinale of the men, in which the overall World Cup winner 2017 Jongwon Chon (KOR) and the defending champion and reigning World Champion Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) faced, it was all about speed. Narasaki stunned the audience with an impressive display of explosiveness and coordination as he literally sprinted the boulder in less than 16 seconds, leaving the current number 1, Chon, literally.
Video from the superfinals of the men
Video from the women's superfinal
Alex Puccio about her victory
“It feels really great to win Adidas Rockstars. But you shouldn't think about it, because anyone can win this competition, all the athletes who are invited here are outstanding and it is not always the strongest or best female climber in the world who wins. The one who is the best that day and has the strongest nerves wins. You need a bit of luck with bouldering problems and I know from experience that all competitors feel the same way. Everyone has a chance to win and everyone is really strong - today was probably just my day. "
Complete result lists under: http://www.adidas-rockstars.com/event-info/ergebnisse/
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Credits: Picture Christian Waldegger, text PD