Sometimes, experience does count. And under the challenging conditions of the IFSC World Cup in Wujiang, all four of the winners turned out to be recent World Championships medalists.
In fact, three of the four were current or former World Champions. At the top – literally – was Slovenian star Janja Garnbret, who won her fourth straight World Cup in Bouldering. Already the reigning World Champion in the event, she has only two more events in this discipline to sweep the entire season!
Back on top in the men’s Bouldering was 2016 World Champion Tomoa Narasaki, who led a superb Japanese effort that captured four of the top five places. Narasaki had to turn back a challenge from Kai Harada in the final for his fourth career World Cup victory.
Another reigning World Champion who claimed gold in Wujiang was Poland’s Aleksandra Rudzinska in women’s speed. After favorite YiLing Song (CHN) failed to advance past the round of 16. Rudzinska was the fastest qualifier in every round and moved to no. 2 on the all-time list with a 7.280 win in the semis. She clocked 7.313 – the fourth fastest time ever – to win in the final.
World Championships bronze medalist – from 2012 – Dimitrii Timofeev of Russia won the men’s Speed event. He set personal bests on the 15 m wall in the round of 16-8-4, then won the final over France’s 2018 Worlds silver medalist, Bassa Mawem, 5.597-5.810 in the final. Summaries from Wujiang:
IFSC World Cup
Wujiang (CHN) ~ 3-5 May 2019
(Full results here)
Men/Bouldering: 1. Tomoa Narasaki (JPN), 3T4z~7/8; 2. Kai Harada (JPN), 3T4z~7/13; 3. Jakob Schubert (AUT), 1T4z~2/9; 4. Keita Dohi (JPN), 1T4z~2/9; 5. Kokoro Fujii (JPN), 1T4z~3/18.
Men/Speed/ Final: 1. Dmitrii Timofeev (RUS), 5.597; 2. Bassa Mawem (FRA), 5.810. Small Final: Ludovico Fossali (ITA), 5.856; 4. Reza Alipour (IRI), 6.436.
Women/Bouldering: 1. Janja Garnbret (SLO), 4T4z~5/4; 2. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN), 3T4z~4/5; 3. Ai Mori (JPN), 3T4z~11/9; 4. Miho Nonaka (JPN), 2T4z~4/7; 5. Jessica Pilz (AUT), 2T4z~6/7.
Women/Speed/ Final: 1. Aleksandra Rudzinska (POL), 7.313; 2. Aries Susanti Rahayu (INA), 7.607. Small Final: 3. Anouck Jaubert (FRA), 7.516; 4. Anna Tsyganova (RUS), 7.541.
