The Swiss Sascha Lehmann celebrates his first World Cup victory in Villars in front of a home crowd

Sascha Lehmann shines in the top-ranked Lead World Cup in Villars-sur-Ollon and celebrates his very first World Cup victory in front of a frenetic home crowd! Cédric Lachat succeeded in the year 2007. The winner was Slovenian Janja Garnbret. Petra Klingler reached the semi-finals of the women's event and was the best Swiss in the 24. Final Standings.

For the fourth time the season opener in lead climbing on the weekend took place in Villars-sur-Ollon, in the middle of the Vaud Alps. 247 athletes from 17 nations competed for the season's first lead and fourth speed world cup, including nine women and eleven men from Switzerland.

Sascha Lehmann cheers Villars-sur-Ollon
Already four times stood Sascha Lehmann (Burgdorf BE) in a Lead World Cup final. But it had not been enough for the podium so far. The lead specialist, who is currently preparing intensively for a possible Olympic qualification, already showed on Friday during the qualifications that he is one of the strongest sports climbers in the world. As a ninth he made the leap into the semifinals, where he convinced one day later with another glittering performance and qualified third for the final of Saturday night.

In front of an impressive audience of Bernese entered the stage on Saturday night and attacked the final route. Carried on by the audience, the 21-year-old climbed the route with great patience and concentration, reaching the top with rapturous applause. He was sure of a podium finish. Two athletes later was even the first World Cup victory for the Swiss perfect!

“It's just unbelievable and I can't quite believe it yet. The emotions were only really noticeable at the end of the top. I had heard that there had probably been two tops upfront. On the one hand, that created additional pressure, because I knew that I couldn't fall and that I couldn't make any mistakes. On the other hand, it showed me that the route is possible. I said to myself that if the others can do it, then so can I. For me it is especially nice to celebrate my first World Cup victory in front of a home crowd. "
Sascha Lehmann

Semi-final move for Petra Klingler
The semi-finals were the declared goal of Petra Klingler (Bonstetten ZH). Thanks to 26 in qualifying, the Zurich athlete managed to make the leap to the next lap before becoming the first athlete to tackle the semi-final route on Saturday morning.

“I'm very happy with the way I climbed because I didn't make any mistakes. It started out relatively easy, then came the first key point. You either manage to switch there or not. Unfortunately this time I didn't find the right solution straight away, which led to my fall. Although I have achieved my goal, I am not entirely satisfied with finishing 24th. "
Petra Klingler

The victory for the ladies went to the Slovenian Janja Garnbret. The Speed World Cup was won by Anouck Jaubert (FRA) and Aleksandr Shikov (RUS). This weekend, the second World Lead Cup will take place in Chamonix.