In the men's lead semi-final, the young Japanese Sorato Anraku confirmed his dominance. He qualified for the final with the highest number of points. A tricky section in the lower part of the lead route caused the surprising exit of numerous starting climbers.
The news about the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is presented by Mammut and Unparallel
As with the bouldering, the lead route in the men's semi-final was also very difficult. There were no tops, but there were many falls in the lower part of the route. This first crux shattered the Olympic dreams of numerous athletes, including those of Hannes Van Duysen, Jesse Grupper, Sascha Lehmann, Sam Avezou, Dohyun Lee and Tomoa Narasaki.
Sorato Anraku once again absolutely confident
Quite unperturbed by this deceptive sequence, Sorato AnrakuThe 17-year-old Japanese, who has already Boulder semi-finals dominated, theoretically should not have had to compete in the lead semi-finals, so big was his points cushion from the bouldering discipline.
Of course, he was the last to compete in the lead semi-final and demonstrated his skills. He climbed solidly up to the first crux and solved the problem with a heel hook. Winter went up to the hanging passage in the blue sector - another selection stage along the lead route.
Here too, the exceptional Japanese talent climbed with absolute confidence. Up to this point, there were no signs of weakness. During the transition to the black sequence, a top finish for Sorato Anraku still looked possible.
When he attempted a dropknee to clip after a few moves, the strong youngster also fell off the wall. With 137 points, he moved into the finals in Bouldering & Lead with a clear lead.
Bouldering & Lead Men: These are the finalists
- Sorato Anraku, 137 points
- Toby Roberts, 122.2 points
- Adam Ondra, 116.8 points
- Alberto Ginés López, 100.7 points
- Jakob Schubert, 98.8 points
- Paul Jenft, 91.1 points
- Colin Duffy, 87.9 points
- Hamish McArthur, 79.3 points
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Veterans and youngsters successful
The generational change in sport climbing is definitely underway. The first sport climbing competitions at the Olympic Games in Paris were evidence of this. As in bouldering, strong climbers from the older generation were also able to assert themselves in lead climbing.
With Adam Ondra and Jakob Schubert Two long-time competition dominators confirmed their good form. The Czech climbed in the lead semi-finals as quickly and as precisely as usual. He solved the critical point with the tiny step quite elegantly: He used a heel hook and didn't have to put any strain on the tiny Spax. He also mastered the Campus passage with ease. It was only at the next crux and with a total of 68.1 points that it was over for him.
Six-time world champion Jakob Schubert also marched confidently into the Boulder & Lead final. The Austrian initially chose the Ondra method on the first crux, but then changed his mind, put his foot on the tiny step and pulled through. He mastered the hanging section with brute force, and a short time later it was over for him too.
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Several climbers from the younger group made it to the finals, including Briton Hamish McArthur, American Colin Duffy, Frenchman Paul Jenft, Olympic champion Alberto Ginés López and Toby RobertsThe latter had already shown a strong performance in bouldering. And as a result, the 19-year-old lead specialist was able to start the semi-finals fairly relaxed, where he showed a strong performance and was able to benefit from his tremendous stamina.
The crux with the first crux
The lead semi-final was over far too early for many strong athletes, including the climbers from German-speaking countries. Sascha Lehmann still looked very fresh and motivated when his foot slipped at the crux of the black volumes and his dream of reaching the final was shattered.
The Swiss hopeful was correspondingly disappointed after the lead semi-final: "That was an uncomfortable spot for me. Maybe I didn't quite find the right solution. It's a shame that I didn't somehow manage to climb over that spot. I really had the feeling that the route would have suited me."
It's a huge disappointment that I didn't get into the climbing I was hoping for.
Sascha Lehmann
Yannick Flohe managed to solve the crux with a toe hook, but then fell unexpectedly early at the campus point. Even more tragic was the performance of Alex MegosThe Franconian was unable to perform as hoped in the bouldering semi-final and was accordingly motivated to show off in his favorite discipline, lead.
He got past the crux, still physically fresh and at full speed, when a few moves later his left foot slipped completely unexpectedly. With just 24 points he clearly missed out on a place in the final.
Content partner Olympic Games 2024 in Paris
The coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is presented by Mammut and Unparallel:
Mammoth is a Swiss outdoor company founded in 1862 that offers mountain sports fans all over the world high-quality products and unique brand experiences. For 160 years, the world's leading premium brand has stood for safety and groundbreaking innovation. Mammut products combine functionality and performance with contemporary design. With the combination of hardware, shoes and clothing, Mammut is one of the most complete providers in the outdoor market. Mammut Sports Group AG operates in around 40 countries and employs around 850 people.
Maximum grip, sophisticated designs and «hand-made in California»: The brand unparallel not only impresses with years of experience in the production of climbing shoes, but also relies on a sustainable philosophy - as well as on a selection of specially developed rubber compounds that are processed exclusively by long-standing, local partners.
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Credits: Cover picture Lena Drapella/IFSC