The stars of the early IFSC World Cups shone brightly in Chongqing (CHN), as home favorite YiLing Song and Slovanian star Janja Garnbret both produced brilliant World Cup victories.
Song, the new star in Speed this season, placed a permanent mark on the sport with a world record of 7.101 seconds up the 15 m wall in the quarterfinals, breaking the mark of France’s Anouck Jaubert (7.320) from last season.
Song showed that the mark was no fluke with a semifinal win in 7.110 – no. 2 ever – in the semis against Jaubert, who was within 1/100th of her own record at 7.321! In the final, Song clocked only 7.673, but it was more than enough as Pole Aleksandra Rudzinska fell.
That might have been the highlight of the event, but then Garnbret took over in the Bouldering program. She ripped through the program with four tops, the same as Japan’s Akiyo Noguchi, but on fewer tries. It was Garnbret’s third straight victory in the World Cup this season, and her eighth career victory, all in the last three seasons. She remains the Olympic favorite for 2020.
The men’s events also had surprises, with France’s Manuel Cornu taking his first World Cup victory (and first World Cup medal). He had been third in the 2016 World Championships, but never better than fifth in a World Cup; he beat former World Champion Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) for the victory.
Indonesia’s Alfian Muhammad dominated the men’s Speed event, touching in 5.970 in the final over Ukraine’s Konstantin Pavlenko (6.315). Summaries:
IFSC World Cup
Chongqing (CHN) ~ 26-28 April 2019
(Full results here)
Men
Bouldering: 1. Manuel Cornu (FRA), 3T4z-5/5; 2. Tomoa Narasaki (JPN), 3T4z-5/6; 3. Anze Peharc (SLO), 3T4z-10/10; 4. Sascha Lehmann (SUI), 2T4z-3/10; 5. Alexsey Rubtsov (RUS), 2T/4z-4/11.
Speed/ Final: 1. Alfian Muhammad (INA), 5.970; 2. Kostiantyn Pavlenko (UKR), 6.315; Third: 3. Sergey Rukin (RUS), 6.808; 4. QiXin Zhong (CHN), fell.
Women
Bouldering: 1. Janja Garnbret (SLO), 4T4z-8/6; 2. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN), 4T4z-12/9; 3. Jessica Pilz (AUT), 3T4z-8/11; 4. Petra Klingler (SUI), 1T3z-2/8; 5. Futaba Ito (JPN), 1T2z-1/4.
Speed/ Final: 1. YiLing Song (CHN), 7.673; 2. Aleksandra Rudzinska (POL), fell. Third: 3. Iullia Kaplina (RUS), 8.492; 4. Anouck Jaubert (FRA), fell.