Jain Kim (KOR) attends her 102nd Lead World Cup - fourth on the female lead all time list and her 146th World Cup competition across all disciplines - fifth on the female all time list Hélène Janicot (FRA) attends her 71st Lead World Cup - equal ninth on the female Lead all time list - and takes the French national record for appearances from Caroline Ciavaldini Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) attends his 82nd Lead World Cup In men’s Speed Ludovico Fossali (ITA) is the most experienced making his 47th Speed World Cup closely followed by Guillome Moro (FRA) making his 46th Speed World Cup Making their first appearance at an IFSC World Cup in men’s Lead are:  Making their first appearance at an IFSC World Cup in women’s Speed are: Making their first appearance at an IFSC World Cup in men’s Speed are:  Be one of the first to try our new activity feed The IFSC has disqualified all American climbers scheduled to compete in Briançon after a representative failed to confirm their attendance Although 10 Americans were on the start list for the event Olympian Colin Duffy told Climbing that at least a couple of these—himself and fellow Olympian Jesse Grupper—were not intending to compete in Briançon which USAC would have indicated to the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) at the check-in (Duffy won gold at last weekend’s Chamonix Lead World Cup but is stepping back from any further competitions to focus on preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in August.) start list who have now been disqualified were men Nathan Sato USA Climbing issued an apology for the blunder via their website yesterday “We can only imagine the immense disappointment our athletes and fans must be feeling right now,” the statement reads “We want to express our sincerest apologies for this inexcusable oversight Our staff are actively working on ways to prevent this from happening again in the future.” “There’s always a meeting before these comps to confirm team attendance that the Team Official should go to,” Duffy explained but I guess our Team Official for that event just didn’t show up But it sucks that the team couldn’t get a warning or something and maybe the athletes could still compete.” Somewhat damningly, although the USAC statement says “the rules require a confirmation of attendance in person by a Team Official at the competition venue,” a public PDF dictating all of the IFSC’s 2024 Rules states that “in exceptional circumstances” check-ins can alternatively be performed via SMS or phone call the USAC statement said that a “Team Official” was required to confirm attendance but the IFSC Rules list states that even one of the competitors may do this themself if no Team Official is registered Rumors were awash on social media in the wake of the incident with some sources speculating that there was a lack of consideration for non-Olympic USA Climbing team members this close to the Paris Games were already in Europe for previous IFSC events he said several had flown over from the United States specifically for the Briançon World Cup “There really aren’t any positive takeaways.” In their statement the USAC said that they would reimburse travel expenses for all the affected athletes and their family who traveled to support them "The Nutcracker" explores the mental challenges of solo climbing and the tactics Cornell used to help him send the route You're just a ticket away from Milano Cortina 2026Get early bird pricings on Milano Cortina 2026 tickets to secure your spot for an experience of lifetime at the Winter Olympic Games in the magical Italy Inhabitants of Briançon in south-east France are proud of the fact that their town has never been captured by enemies at the meeting point of five valleys and close to the border with Italy attacking this Hautes-Alpes outpost was never going to be easy Troops would first have to negotiate the mountainous terrain they would have been met by some formidable fortifications which were consolidated in the 18th Century by the celebrated military architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban is Briançon’s jewel – an 11th-Century settlement encircled by multiple fortifications to protect its population from invaders It earned Unesco World Heritage Site recognition in 2008 it has been settled and fortified since Gallo-Roman times beefing up defences became a priority after it was threatened by the Duke of Savoy in 1692 who personally advised Louis XIV on fortification efforts all along France’s borders to better protect the territory journalist and author of a book about Vauban said: “Briançon was France’s most strategic site since it overlooked five valleys that led to Montgenèvre “Securing Briançon was like putting a lock on France’s entire south east.” Vauban started with construction of several forts around the town These included Trois Têtes and Rambouillet enemies would be funnelled towards Pont d’Asfeld the only accessible road and built from 1729 to 1734 across a picturesque gorge of the Durance The town itself is surrounded by thick walls above which stands the imposing Fort des Salettes built between 1709 and 1712 and dominating Briançon at some 1,538 m high These mammoth architectural efforts give Briançon “a soul” “There is always something new to discover or rediscover Once through the Porte de Pignerol gateway In front are the two downhill streets of Grande Rue and Rue du Temple Grande Rue is one of the town’s most famous sights and is lined with attractive old buildings It is often referred to as La Grande Gargouille (‘The Great Gargoyle’) and also refers to a small drain flowing with water in the centre of the road Both Grande Rue and Rue du Temple take you to Place d’Armes Hard to miss near here is the 18th-century collegiate church of Notre Dame and Saint Nicolas built to Vauban’s plans and boasting two stone bell towers topped with domes and an impressive sundial Vauban’s idea was to build the church in the heart of the town and its fortifications so that the Duke of Savoy would think twice about attacking a religious building Briançon’s tourist office is also located near here in a Renaissance building dating from 1575 and one of the town’s oldest Visitors will find it hard to resist buying one of the ubiquitous marmot cuddly toys – the region’s animal mascot – as they are displayed in many shop windows and on market stalls on Cité Vauban’s stunning views of the mountains Locals all have their favourite places to do so Porte de la Durance or Fort du Château in the shadow of Antoine Bourdelle’s bronze La France sculpture Briançon has extended outside of its fortified perimeter towards the base of the hill around 500 locals still remain in the old town despite its inaccessibility by car and the lack of light inside apartments “The relationship we have with Cité Vauban is complex,” said Ms Clivio She points out that Briançon has not suffered the same fate as many other French fortified towns where military buildings were destroyed to make way for modern infrastructure and housing An army presence continued at Fort des Trois Têtes until 2009 just months after it was awarded Unesco status Briançon is not nearly as inaccessible as it once was almost the whole territory was covered by night train services and Paris-Briançon remains one of the most famous routes It has even inspired a new book from popular French writer Philippe Besson It is one of only two remaining night train services having resisted efforts from successive governments to shut it down This is thanks largely to savvy Briançon mayors emphasising how important the service is for nearby ski resorts Briançon’s fortifications have been harnessed for more than tourism serving as a billboard for protest banners They have increasingly been used as such by Tous migrants to denounce the town’s lack of migrant shelters The town’s defences have also been re-imagined for Briançon’s recently overhauled logo a decision was made to replace the generic picture-postcard one featuring mountains sky and sun for something that better reflected the town whose former company Studio Havana was chosen to redesign the logo told The Connexion he went back to Vauban’s original plans The logo’s shape is therefore very geometric with vertical lines representing the link between the upper and lower town Mr Petit moved to Briançon over 10 years ago attracted by the high number of cultural events the town offers but it feels as if these fortifications were designed to defend its intrinsic quality of openness.” Saint-Véran: the quaint alpine village feels ‘how France used to be’ Discover mediaeval underground cave churches in Nouvelle-Aquitaine One tower per family in this noble medieval site in France Foreign tourists are driving positive results as people in France tighten budgets Expat numbers are soaring alongside a boom in US tourism in the city and urban culture events in the capital of France's Grand Est region Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Team USA has no climbers competing in the IFSC Lead World Cup in Briançon, France this week. Five Team USA climbers in both gender categories had registered to participate in the event. However, USA Climbing failed to confirm the attendance of their athletes with the IFSC USA Climbing is the national governing bodies for comp climbing in the United States as recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the IFSC IFSC World Cup rules indicate that registered athletes must have their attendance confirmed by a Team Official at the competition venue USA Climbing unfortunately failed to do this for their Lead athletes in Briançon The Jury President of the event stuck to the rules preventing the inclusion of Team USA athletes in the comp USA Climbing has said it will reimburse travel expenses for its Briançon athletes and their families due to this mishap Ten Team USA athletes were registered to compete in Briançon Declan Osgood and Hugo Hoyer in men’s and Alyssa Keanini It is likely that some of these climbers would not have competed had their attendance been confirmed – Colin Duffy announced he wasn’t going to compete in Briançon after his Chamonix victory last week – but the majority would have USA Climbing has released a public statement about the issue We deeply regret to announce that USA Climbing failed to confirm the attendance of our Lead athletes registered to compete at the IFSC World Cup Briançon 2024 the rules require a confirmation of attendance in person by a Team Official at the competition venue informed our onsite staff that our Lead athletes would not be eligible to participate We can only imagine the immense disappointment our athletes and fans must be feeling right now and we want to express our sincerest apologies for this inexcusable oversight Our staff are actively working on ways to prevent this from happening again in the future by putting additional safeguards in place to mitigate such issues moving forward USA Climbing will reimburse travel expenses for the athletes and their family members who traveled to support them Get the digital edition of Gripped for your chosen platform: The fourth stage of the Lead World Cup took place in Briançon last weekend and despite being impoverished as all the main players except for Laura Rogora skipped it in their final preparations to the Paris Olympics Six athletes from Team Japan managed to qualify for the men's final with three claiming the podium making for a historic clean sweep: Murashita Zento won gold with with a score of 47 Yoshida Satone followed in close second place with 45 and Omata Shion won bronze after having reached hold 42+ all three had managed to top the men’s semi-final route Finishing in fourth position in his first final participation was home favourite Max Bertone Also at 42+ was German veteran Sebastian Halenke who took fifth place due to his inferior semifinal score Three more Japanese climbers finished in the bottom three position of the final: Ishizu Mototaka concluded sixth with 41+ and Imaizumi Yuta closed in eighth with 38+ This is Murashita's first gold medal and after the event he commented "I’m very happy Also winning her first World Cup gold medal ever was 27-year-old Kotake Mei who managed to climb to hold 49+ to win her 25th Lead World Cup participation who won bronze at the World Cup in Chamonix concluded in front of Italy’s Laura Rogora who won silver after falling off hold 45 Third place went to Austria’s Mattea Pötzi who claimed her first-ever World Cup medal after qualifying for her third consecutive Lead final Natsumi Oda of Japan seventh and Floa Oblasser of Austria eighth "I still can’t believe I have won my first gold It’s been a long journey for me to get on the World Cup podium With many of the top climbers not competing and I’m happy I made it," an emotional Kotake said moments before the podium.The IFSC World Cup Series 2024 will return in September with events in Koper Full results: www.ifsc-climbing.org and voices from the sixth IFSC World Cup stage of the 2024 season “I still can’t believe I have won my first gold It’s been a long journey for me to get on the World Cup podium “In my time away from the competition circuit I focused on rock Climbing “I’m happy because I gave all my had on the route It’s been a long time since my last World Cup podium and I feel this is a good performance in the lead up to the Olympic Games.” I wouldn’t have expected my first World Cup medal I thought I was even out of semi-final after my first climb in qualification so it was definitely a good job coming back from that.” because I think I could have climbed to the top “I tried my best and got into the flow well This was probably one of my biggest goals this year I would have never imagined making it to the final in a World Cup “To do this in front of a French audience is the best I know they are here to push me to my limit and the final will be good with their support.” and I should not have tried to switch feet just before slipping I think I could have done at least two more moves and I didn’t have time to train for this type of climb as I am still recovering from a knee surgery I had in April but the route felt like one from when I started competing many years ago.” “Qualification routes were very cool to climb and we were able to bring some family and friends too “My objective at this competition was to make semi-final but in the second one I hesitated a lot on a move where you don’t have to hesitate I should have done at least two or three more moves to consider it a good performance but even if I’m the last one I always try to look at the positive side of each thing because if you start worrying about stuff that don’t matter and you don’t have to wait so long in the warm-up area.” With my legs I think I could do a couple of moves more than the other guys even though I am not completely satisfied with my performance on the second route.” “I was nervous for my first World Cup competition “It’s super cool to have four climbers competing at the Olympic Games for Great Britain the awareness for Climbing in Great Britain has grown a lot over the past few years.” the Japanese national team ruled the last World Cup competition before the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Climbing in front of a stunning crowd in Briançon eight men and eight women battled for the fourth sets of Lead World Cup medals up for grabs this year Team Japan placed three of their six finalists on the podium with Murashita Zento claiming the brightest medal with a score of 47 Yoshida Satone following in close second place with 45 and Omata Shion completing the sweep and winning bronze with 42+ and Omata were the three climbers who managed to top the men’s semi-final route and climb very well,” said first-time gold medallist Murashita Also at 42+ was Germany’s Sebastian Halenke For the women’s Lead event complete results click here who entered the stage with the fourth seed but managed to climb higher than all her rivals finally placing at the top of the ranking in her 25th Lead World Cup participation who was coming from the bronze won at the World Cup in Chamonix concluded in front of Italy’s Laura Rogora – one of the few athletes qualified for Paris 2024 who competed in Briançon and I’m happy I made it,” an emotional Kotake said moments before the podium Third place went to Austria’s Mattea Pötzi who finally claimed her first-ever World Cup medal in her third consecutive Lead final round For the women’s Lead event complete results click here The IFSC World Cup Series 2024 will return in September with events in Koper FOSSALI TAKE FIRST HISTORIC SPEED GOLDS IN BRIANÇONThe 400th IFSC World Cup event in history opened with an exciting pair of Speed finals In the long history of IFSC World Cup events in Briançon the Speed discipline have never been part of the programme – until now After 13 consecutive years hosting Lead World Cup competitions the beautiful city in the French Alps has finally seen the first sets of Speed medals awarded in its brand-new venue China’s Deng Lijuan won gold in the women’s Speed event and led an all-Asian podium that also included South Korea’s Jeong Jimin and teammate Zhang Shaoqin Deng’s crescendo saw her close with four sub-seven and go from the time of 6.87 seconds she recorded in the round of 16 to the 6.62 in the following quarter-final to the 6.48 with which she beat another Chinese climber the 24-year-old from Beijing set a new personal best with 6.41 seconds The South Korean specialist also updated her own personal record and stopped the clock at 6.53 “I can’t wait to be in Paris for the Olympics “I’m so excited about winning silver,” added Jeong “It is the first silver in the history of my country Zhang Shaoqin bested Wang and placed third with 6.46 seconds For the women’s Speed event complete results click here The men’s Speed final also lived up to the expectations of the crowd offering a neck-and-neck race for gold between two of the most experienced climbers in the circuit: Ludovico Fossali of Italy and Erik Noya Cardona of Spain the 2019 men’s Speed world champion in Hachioji ran his first-ever sub-five and won gold with 4.97 – equalling the current men’s European record and taking the second World Cup win of his career I know that with consistency and time I could achieve my goals it helps me forget the first part of the season The podium was completed by China’s Long Jianguo who placed third after beating Germany’s Leander Carmanns in the bronze medal race Carmanns with 5.06 – both set a new personal record For the men’s Speed event complete results click here Despite many of the top-ranked athletes missing from the starting lists, the competing climbers put on a show on a highly performing wall, with plenty of new personal bests being set, along with two continental records: Josh Bruyns of South Africa stopped the clock at 5.71 seconds besting the time he previously set at last week’s World Cup in Chamonix France; while Julian David of New Zealand continued his progression and wrote a new Oceania record in both of his qualification runs – first with 5.40 The IFSC World Cup Briançon 2024 will continue tomorrow with Lead qualifications while Lead semi-finals will close the programme at 20:30 PÖTZI TARGETS FIRST PODIUMTeam Japan dominated the men’s Lead semi-final placing six athletes out of eight spots; the Austrian 24-year-old earned herself a third-consecutive trip to the final round The second competition day at the IFSC World Cup Briançon 2024 featured the two Lead semi-final rounds that selected the eight men and eight women competing in tomorrow’s finals Four Japanese climbers took the first four positions at the end of the men’s semi-final and Murashita Zento securing the top of the route and Tanaka Shuta closing just a few before with 48+ The Japanese contingent participating in the battle for the medals will also include Ishizu Mototaka and Imaizumi Yuta – respectively sixth and seventh in the ranking The only two non-Japanese athletes making it into the top eight were 17-year-old Max Bertone of France and 29-year-old Sebastian Halenke of Germany while Halenke scored 45 and finished in eighth position Halenke added: “My climb in the semi-final was decent For the men’s Lead complete results click here I would have never imagined making it to the final in a World Cup.Max Bertone (FRA)A much more diverse group of climbers qualified for the women’s Lead final Laura Rogora – an Olympian at Tokyo 2020 Olympian and a future participant at Paris 2024 – claimed the top of the table with a score of 41+ who finished second because of a lower placement in the qualification round “I tried my best and got into the flow well,” commented Pötzi Pötzi’s 16-year-old teammate Flora Oblasser qualified in eighth place and will try to best the fifth place she took at the previous World Cup in Chamonix Also competing in tomorrow’s final will be legendary climber Kim Jain of South Korea Japan’s Kotake Mei – winner of the bronze medal in Chamonix – Aleksandra Totkova of Bulgaria and two more teenagers: Oda Natsumi of Japan For the women’s Lead complete results click here with the men’s Lead final starting at 20:30 (UTC+2:00) France is the destination as climbers make their way cross country from Chamonix for the sixth IFSC World Cup of 2024 Starting tomorrow the Speed and Lead athletes will once again fight it out for podium positions and World Cup medals is steeped in climbing and Tour de France history with murals of the great cycling race adorning many walls and in 2024 there are some similarities between the two events the IFSC World Cup has taken a July tour of France - from Chamonix now to Briançon and finishing in the capital Paris later in the month with the Olympic Games 138 Lead climbers and 102 Speed climbers will once again vie for medals over three days of climbing with Speed in focus on day one At last year’s edition there was no Speed on the menu but in 2024 the crowds that will be in attendance will have something else to cheer and enjoy Coming off a men’s Speed medal winning performance in Chamonix is Spain’s Erik Noya Cardona who will be hoping for a podium repeat and an addition to that bronze medal he won just last week Noya Cardona said: “I’m feeling great ahead of this competition really motivated after my result in Chamonix and I want to keep pushing I want to try and break the five second barrier and join the four second club very soon For Noya Cardona and many of the Speed climbers it is a first visit to the French city: “It’s my first time in Briançon and it’s a beautiful place I wish they did Speed World Cup’s here before so I could have come earlier.” China’s Wang Xinshang joined Noya Cardona on the Chamonix podium taking silver and will once again be a rival to the Spaniard Others looking to make waves in the men’s competition will be Salt Lake City bronze medallist Kevin Amon of Austria and former world record holders Veddriq Leonardo and Kiromal Katibin of Indonesia Rajiah Sallsabillah is in Briançon in the women’s competition after securing a Paris 2024 ticket at the recent Olympic Qualifier Series events as is Noya Cardona’s compatriot and also future Olympian Leslie Adriana Romero Pérez In the last hit out before Paris 2024 there is a host of women’s Speed climbers in action Indonesia’s world champion Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi There’s even last week’s winner in Chamonix Zhang Shaoqin of China in action in what promises to be a great competition I want to try and break the five second barrier and join the four second club very soonErik Noya Cardona (ESP)For Lead in 2023 Slovenia’s Vita Lukan broke her duck for World Cup gold’s when she stood atop the women’s podium and last year’s winner is back to her happy place Lukan said: “It’s really exciting being back in Briançon as I have really good memories I’m really looking forward to the competition.” Lukan’s year hasn’t quite been on the same path: “This whole season has been an emotional rollercoaster I focussed on the Olympic Qualifier Series and it didn’t work out so now I don’t feel that much pressure on the World Cup as my shape is maybe not the best now and it is a little hard to refocus on competition But I felt good in Chamonix and felt I was getting back on track Some of the names on the registration list Lukan will have to contend with are Austria’s three Chamonix finalists – Jessica Pilz a French contingent including Manon Hily and Hélène Janicot and some strong Asian climbers like South Korea’s Kim Jain and Japan’s Tanii Natsuki In the men’s Lead competition last year there were seven Japanese climbers out of the eight available places With another big showing in Briançon from the team Just three of the ten in attendance from the nation Looking to disrupt the Japanese order will be climbers such as Italy’s Stefano Ghisolfi Spain’s Chamonix finalist Guillermo Peinado Franganillo and soon to be Olympian Action starts tomorrow – Wednesday 17 July – with Speed qualification at 12:00 (UTC+2) before Speed finals the same day at 20:00 DAVID BREAKS INTO FINAL ROUNDThe IFSC World Cup in Briançon France kicked off with Speed qualifications with new faces and recent winners making their way to the final rounds The final IFSC World Cup event before the Olympic Games Paris 2024 commenced in Briançon with the women’s and men’s Speed qualification rounds Chinese specialist Zhang Shaoqin – winner of the women’s Speed event at the IFSC World Cup in Chamonix last week – placed atop the ranking with 6.64 seconds and will aim at pocketing her second consecutive World Cup gold Five more athletes recorded qualification times below the seven-second mark including Poland’s Natalia Kalucka – winner of the silver medal in Chamonix – and Italy’s Giulia Randi who updated her personal best with a 6.85 run For the women’s Speed qualification complete results click here another future Paris 2024 Olympian – Kazakhstan’s Amir Maimuratov – placed first with his new personal best: 4.96 seconds Second with 4.97 was Italy’s reigning Speed world champion Matteo Zurloni who equalled the European record he set just four days ago in Chamonix Speaking of continental records, Julian David of New Zealand finally broke into the top 16 with a stunning 5.26, breaking once again the Oceania record and guaranteeing himself the best result of his young career “I thought the first run was pretty good – a new personal best Oceania and New Zealand record already with the 5.40 Then usually if you have a good first qualifying run the second you can kind of let the cat out of the bag and go full beans so I did and managed 5.26 seconds run to get me into 11th heading into my first finals here in Briançon I’m super proud and can’t wait for my first finals experience and see what happens,” said David Usually if you have a good first qualifying run the second you can kind of let the cat out of the bag and go full beans so I did and managed 5.26 seconds run to get me into 11th.Julian David (NZL)Qualifying for tonight’s final in 16th position was Bassa Mawem of France – winner of last year’s European Qualifier in Rome and competing in his first World Cup event since Chamonix 2023 just one hundredth ahead of his 19-year-old teammate Jérôme Morel For the men’s Speed qualification complete results click here The IFSC World Cup Briançon 2024 will continue tonight with Speed finals starting at 20:00 (UTC+2:00) and streaming live on the IFSC YouTube channel At UKC/UKH we are all experienced internet users and as such we understand why some people want to use Ad Block to remove annoying and distracting advertising that proliferates on some web sites We don't feel that UKC/UKH should be considered as such a site We have developed a site that has subtle and appropriate advertising; we don't use pop-ups we don't force you to read adverts before you can see content and we don't use third party ad servers dishing up totally inappropriate advertising We have worked incredibly hard over the years to make sure that we keep a good balance between advertising and editorial content Please could you consider disabling Adblock when visiting UKC/UKH The next round of the IFSC World Cup took place in Briançon last weekend many qualified athletes chose to sit this event out but a few used it for some last-minute practice The Speed discipline had never been part of the 13-year-long-running Briançon event – until now with two first-time gold medallists: Zento Murashita and Mei Kotake Lijuan Deng (CHN) earned a confidence-inspiring gold ahead of Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Ludovico Fossali won his first-ever World Cup gold.  with Murashita Zento winning gold with a score of 47 and Omata Shion completing the sweep and earning bronze with 42+ This is the second year in a row that Japanese men have dominated the Briançon podium Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw won the first gold in the history of Olympic Speed Climbing as a single discipline today ahead of China's Lijuan Deng and her Polish teammate Aleksandra Kalucka It was a fitting win for Miroslaw following h.. The final round of the 2023 IFSC Lead and Speed World Cup circuit took place in Wujiang where athletes battled for Olympic Qualifier Series points and overall titles IFSC Lead and Speed 2024 The final round of the IFSC Lead and Speed World Cup in Seoul followed the Boulder event this weekend GB Climbing's Erin McNeice reached finals and finished 5th in Lead having won bronze in the IFSC Boulder World Cup just days before... The first Lead and Speed World Cups of the season took place in Wujiang just days after the Boulder World Cup in Keqiao wrapped up As athletes target different events in this Olympic year In the long history of IFSC World Cup events in Briançon the Speed discipline have never been part of the programme – until now Despite many of the top-ranked athletes missing from the starting lists due to the proximity of the Paris 2024 Olympics the competing climbers put on a show on a highly performing wall with plenty of new personal bests being set along with two continental records: Josh Bruyns of South Africa stopped the clock at 5.71 seconds besting the time he previously set at last week’s World Cup in Chamonix France; while Julian David of New Zealand continued his progression and wrote a new Oceania record in both of his qualification runs – first with 5.40 China’s Deng Lijuan won gold in the women’s Speed event and led an all-Asian podium that also included South Korea’s Jeong Jimin and teammate Zhang Shaoqin Deng’s crescendo saw her close with four sub-seven and go from the time of 6.87 seconds she recorded in the round of 16 "I can’t wait to be in Paris for the Olympics This win gives me so much confidence." "I’m so excited about winning silver," added Jeong "It is the first silver in the history of my country I’m so happy." The men’s Speed final also lived up to the expectations of the crowd the 2019 men’s Speed world champion in Hachioji ran his first-ever sub-five and won gold with 4.97 – equalling the current men’s European record and taking the second World Cup win of his career it helps me forget the first part of the season. It was my first sub-five I just watch if it’s green or red." The podium was completed by China’s Long Jianguo who placed third after beating Germany’s Leander Carmanns in the bronze medal race Carmanns with 5.06 – both set a new personal record In the mountainous region along the French-Italian border volunteers and activists tirelessly work to welcome and support migrants their efforts come with significant challenges My recent research explores how these individuals organise themselves under tough conditions often using time-consuming and low-profile strategies to avoid detection I discovered that these volunteers can continue their vital humanitarian work despite facing external pressures This study emphasises how constraints shape organisational strategies focusing on the importance of time and adaptability Future research should investigate why Briançon’s volunteers have more time for activism compared to others and compare their efforts with those in cities like Nice Understanding these dynamics can offer valuable lessons on how volunteers and activists navigate challenges in politically charged environments Fall asleep in Paris and wake up in the heart of the mountains: this is the concept behind the night train service linking Paris to Briançon with stops planned at several stations in the Hautes-Alpes region (Gap Already somewhat disparaged by its regular users traffic on this line will be disrupted again in January Operating on weekends only (including Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday evenings) or every day during school vacations, the night train line linking Paris to Briançon (or Briançon to Paris in the other direction) is particularly popular with Parisians looking for a weekend in the mountains or with residents of the Hautes-Alpes who want to get to the capital in the shortest possible time the line will be disrupted by work carried out by SNCF in the Drôme region making it impossible to branch off to reach all the stations normally served To compensate for the lack of night trains during this period SNCF will be providing replacement coaches: a less comfortable option but one that can be of great help to outdoor enthusiasts in need of a mountain break Refer your establishment, click herePromote your event, click here the IFSC World Cup Series 2024 stops in Chamonix from 13 to 14 July for a set of Lead and Speed competitions while only a few days later – 17 to 19 July – the same discplines will be contested in Briançon Throughout the entire World Cup season, semi-final and final rounds of all Boulder and Lead competitions are going to be live streamed on the YouTube channel of the IFSC with geo blocking applied to selected countries and territories Speed qualifications and finals will also be live streamed on the IFSC YouTube channel with geo restrictions only applied to the latter Click here for start lists and live results of the World Cup in Chamonix Click here for start lists and live results of the World Cup in Briançon The official hashtags of the event are #ChamonixWC and #BriançonWC, with #WorldClimbing grouping contents across all social media platforms throughout the entire season. A holiday to the French Alps in summer means fresher air We’re just going to come out and say it: as a summer holiday destination the range of activities on offer is more varied and even the air you breathe feels different and if you’re looking for an escape from the hot hustle and bustle of summer city life—a concern that’s becoming increasingly pressing as the planet warms—there are few better places to get away to than Serre Chevalier Briançon Serre Chevalier Briançon is the name given to a collection of villages in the Guisane Valley which make up one of France's biggest and best-known ski resorts Villeneuve-La Salle Les Alpes and Le Monêtier les Bains All four communes sit at around 1,200m above sea level which makes them an ideal place for a summer holiday—cool and fresh feeling the nearby Ecrins National Park is home to some of the most stunning alpine scenery anywhere in Europe Serre Chevalier Briançon is famous in winter for its large the same cable cars and chairlifts whisk hikers and mountain bikers up to heights of 2,500m into the heart of a vast network of walking paths and trails for enduro and bike park riders alike If you prefer the lycra-clad kind of riding Serre Chevalier Briançon has you covered too—the infamous Col du Galibier famously one of the toughest challenges on the Tour de France is just up the road in one direction; the Col du Granon You can go white water rafting on the river or try kayaking down some of its trickier rapids You can tackle one of the multiple via ferratas which snake between the high alpine peaks or go rock climbing on any number of bolted sport climbing routes a natural pool surrounded by wooden platforms a games area and even a beach volleyball court The backdrop beats the actual beach hands down a summer holiday can’t be go-go-go all the time Thankfully Serre Chevalier Briançon offers plenty of more relaxing distractions too The natural hot springs of the Grands Bains du Monêtier which spout from the ground at temperatures of up to 44 degrees celsius have been known for their healing properties since Roman times Louis XVI ordered the construction of royal baths here offers everything you could want from a wellness centre: multiple indoor and outdoor pools heated to different temperatures; jacuzzis and massage pools; saunas hammams and salons offering every kind of therapeutic treatment and even a “musical cave” where chilled sounds help you relax One of the best things about the Serre Chevalier Briançon area is the city of Briançon itself are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site and are well worth a visit for history buffs there are several local restaurants featured in the Michelin guide craft breweries and genepi distilleries to explore there are multiple events and open air concerts throughout the year the air in Briançon is always cool and refreshing (as it is in the neighbouring villages) making Serre Chevalier Briançon the perfect place to escape from sticky sleepless nights 21 degrees - Average daytime temperature in July & August 4 Separate towns and villages make up the resort For more information about everything Serre Chevalier Briançon has to offer active summer visitors, go to serre-chevalier.com The final Lead World Cup before the Paris Olympics wrapped up yesterday in Briançon Team Japan swept the podium with Zento Murashita taking first Mei Kotake of Japan won gold in the women’s comp The team took the top three spots at the men’s Boulder World Cup in Innsbruck a few weeks ago – the country’s third-ever Boulder World Cup podium sweep At last year’s Briançon Lead World Cup Team Japan incredibly swept the top six spots in the men’s final Two months later at the Wujiang Lead World Cup At the Boulder & Lead Combined World Cup in 2022 the men swept the podium while teammate Ai Mori won gold in women’s There is currently no other national team on the comp circuit with the depth of talent of Team Japan When their best climbers sit out of an event – as Tomoa Narasaki and others did for this comp – the team can still has a ton of talent they can rely upon six of the eight men’s finalists were from Japan Team Japan athletes have held at least two podium spots in one of the gender categories Briançon marks the first-ever gold medals for both Murashita and Kotake this result is a bit surprising to me,” said Murashita after his win and climb very well.” Kotake was also suprised with her gold-medal win “I still can’t believe I have won my first gold,” she said “It’s been a long journey for me to get on the World Cup podium and I’m happy I made it.” Kotake was joined on the podium by Paris Olympian Laura Rogora of Italy in second and Austrian Mattea Pötzi in third Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times GamesBids.com Long time opponents of French Alps’ bid to host the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have planned a last minute protest to try to topple the project while it is vulnerable Due to be ratified by International Olympic Committee (IOC) membership at a Session in Paris on July 24 the bid still needs to solidify elusive guarantees from an interim government The NO JO organization has planned a bicycle ride from proposed host region Grand Bornand to IOC headquarters in Lausanne Switzerland on Friday (July 19) to ask those in charge of the Olympic Movement to cancel the bid organizers estimate the ride will take eight hours through the French Alps to the shores of Lake Geneva riders say they will ask for “the withdrawal of the French candidacy,” according to the group’s Facebook account “Its expiry must be officially and urgently requested and discussed with the IOC.” But when the peloton arrives at Olympic House High level IOC members will instead be in Paris on the eve of their Executive Board meeting planned for Saturday at the heavily secured Hôtel du Collectionneur that will also serve as the Olympic Family Hotel during the Paris 2024 Games On the meeting’s agenda: the 2030 Olympic Winter Games bid The protestors claim not enough public consultation has taken place to validate the bid and climate change will make hosting the 2030 event unsustainable and without any useful legacy NO JO spokesperson Stéphane Passeron told reporters “this application is the future vision that [the regional governors] have for the Alps Passeron and ecologist and lawyer Pierre Janot are leading the ride that has been timed as the bid committee faces another existential challenge just days before stakeholders are due to sign the host contract in the French capital Snap elections held July 7 across France delivered inconclusive results and politicians are scrambling to form a coalition government Prime Minister Gabriel Attal saw his party fall to second place but was asked by President Emmanuel Macron to remain in his position in the interim to maintain stability Attal’s ability to sign the required Games Delivery Guarantee may no longer be in effect without popular support and if a new coalition is formed before the July 24 deadline the new stakeholders may not be willing to sign the guarantee promised by the former government The IOC’s Executive Board approved the French bid in June pending receipt of the signed guarantee that was already months overdue At the time the IOC said it was confident it would receive the promised signatures after the July 7 election and prior to the planned final member ratification Election results put French Alps 2030 Winter Olympics at Risk. What happens next? Now Renaud Muselier who is President of proposed host region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur says he is “very worried” about the situation When asked if President Macron can sign the document in the current political context Muselier told French business media outlet Gomet “I don’t know Muselier has reportedly been in frequent contact with the President who is expected to meet with IOC president Thomas Bach Monday If the guarantee is not delivered by July 24 the French Alps cannot be elected at the Session That doesn’t mean the French Alps won’t eventually be awarded the Games but the ratification vote will need to be pushed to a future Session The next time all members are scheduled to gather is next year in Athens Greece when the IOC will hold its own presidential election but that may be too long to wait if France eventually delivers the required signatures the IOC could hold an earlier virtual extraordinary Session to elect French Alps 2030 on July 24 the French Alps bid will deliver a 30 minute presentation to over 100 IOC members at approximately 9:00am local time in Paris A senior producer and award-winning journalist covering Olympic bid business as founder of GamesBids.com as well as providing freelance support for print and Web publications around the world Robert Livingstone is a member of the Olympic Journalists Association and the International Society of Olympic Historians With top climbers including in-form Olympic champion Garnbret electing to skip the last IFSC World Cup round before next month's World Championships, Lukan - who suffered a succession of knee injuries earlier this year - claimed her first World Cup win ahead of Czechia's Eliska Adamovska and home climber Manon Hily. Martina Demmel was first to go in her first final, and negotiated the foot-first section just after midway before coming off at 34+. As Camille Pouget approached the same spot as Demmel, she started to grimace with what looked like cramp, but managed to match the German's 34+ and move into the lead thanks to her better semi-final showing. Then came Lukan who went higher than her two rivals, fighting her way up to move 46 before coming off the wall. France's Manon Hily looked the most comfortable on the way up with Lukan's mark in her sights, but she came off at 44. Molly Thompson-Smith was left wondering what might have been in her first final for four years, as the Briton pulled off a strong move before slipping off at 35 when she had more to give, and then Tanii Natsuki came down head-in-hands after hesitating and missing an early jump. Her teammate Kume Nonoha paid the price for a somewhat slow ascent and had to rush as she approached the moves which would land her on the podium. And she came off at 43 to go into third place with just Eliska Adamovska to go with the home crowd celebrating as Hily was guaranteed a medal. The Czech made good progress but could not pass Lukan's mark although her 44+ saw her move head of Hily thanks to her semi-final performance. Afterwards, Lukan told IFSC, "I'm speechless. I did not expect it. I don't know what happened. I just climbed and enjoyed the route. I gave it all, I fought hard and I'm really surprised, I'm just happy. "It's been a really tough season. I injured my knee in January and then again in February. I didn't climb until the middle of April. I suffered an ACL tear and a meniscus tear and I went through surgery. They removed half of the meniscus so, yeah, it was a really tough season so this means a lot to me. It's just amazing." Anraku Sorato continued to cement reputation as one of the world's best young climbers as the 16-year-old secured his first lead World Cup victory and his second World Cup win in a space of a month There were no fewer than seven Japanese climbers in the men's final - a World Cup record - and the course setters could feel satisfied with a route which appeared reasonably straightforward until a complex sloper section after move 35 where fatigue soon set in Ogata Yoshiyuki was the first to go and made almost serene progress until coming off at move 49 Next up was Omata Shion who was not quite as quick as his countryman also made his way quickly up to the pressure point and was awarded a 49+ after coming close to clipping on with his rope And after Uemura Haruki could only reach 37 Homma Taisei reached the same point as Yoshida with his superior semi-final score securing him the lead Sweden's Hannes Puman had to use more energy than his rivals on his ascent and fought hard but 39 was not enough to prevent a Japanese podium sweep Higuchi Masahiro was another who struggled early on but fought through it before posting 40 leaving him outside the medals managed to clip on and then become the only man to top the route for his second World Cup victory having won the last month's boulder event at Innsbruck The IFSC’s World Cup circuit rolled into Briançon It was the last stop on the circuit’s European swing before the upcoming World Championships a multi-disciplinary event in Switzerland that will have hefty Olympic implications the results of the lead discipline at Briançon gave an enticing sneak-peek of some athletes that might be performatively peaking at just the right time to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics Here’s a rundown of all the action from Briançon… In many ways, it felt like the women’s portion of the event began as a continuation of last weekend’s World Cup in Chamonix shot to the top of the leaderboard in the qualification round at Briançon prompting speculation that she might be on her way to another gold medal And it absolutely would have made for a wonderful But Kim’s chances came to an abrupt end in the ensuing semi-final round; she slipped unexpectedly at the lip of the headwall and had to settle for an eventual 14th place fell in the exact same spot on the semi-finals route thus creating a significant opportunity for other competitors to surge ahead of the undeniable favorites one of the best performances in the semi-finals came from the Czech Republic’s Eliska Adamovska who scaled the route’s lower “battery-shaped volumes” and crimped her way to a high point (49+) on the headwall That score was enough to give Adamovska a narrow lead but Japan’s Nonoha Kume wasn’t far behind on the scorecards (49) a cruxy right-hand crimp on the headwall caused a bottleneck at the 45th hold and allowed any semblance of separation below Adamovska and Kume to be murky at best The final round kicked off with its own mini-bottleneck: Germany’s Martina Demmel and France’s Camille Pouget both ascended to the headwall before failing on a leftward launch for the 35th hold Their woes on the burly finals route hinted that most scores in the round could be somewhat low in stark contrast to her modest start to the event (13th place in the qualification round) romped through the headwall’s feet-first mantle crux France’s Manon Hily put forth a valiant effort on the headwall too (aided by the loud French crowd) but she pumped out two moves shy of Lukan’s mark also roused the crowd as she approached Lukan’s high point Adamovska and Hily were separated by countback—Adamovska with the silver If the women’s division possessed a theme of an ever-changing leaderboard throughout the rounds The consistent standout for the men was Japan’s Sorato Anraku He was the only competitor to reach the top of both routes in the qualification round and he carried such consistency into the semi-final round as well—where he once again topped the route Masahiro Higuchi also reached the top of the semi-finals route Taisei Homma and Haruki Uemura did not top the route but they came close—each with concluding scores of 45+ And Satone Yoshida was right below them on the scorecards with a mark of 43+ a total of seven members of Team Japan advanced to the men’s final round—a new record; the sole outlier in the finals Yoshida and Homma set early high points in the final round progressing to the headwall and getting stymied while attempting to lock onto a dual-tex sloper but fell much lower on the route while readjusting a slippery right-hand contextualized by commentator Matt Groom as “probably the favorite on paper.” Indeed Anraku made quick work of the route’s lower section and breezed over pair of sloper volumes that led to the headwall Then Anraku coasted through the cruxy dual-tex sloper to establish a new high point—and Anraku clinched the gold medal—his first-ever in the lead discipline—in dominant fashion; Homma and Yoshida This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 2023In a jaw-dropping display of sheer skill and unbridled courage snowboarder Pierre Vaultier recently took on the ultimate pump track at Serre Chevalier Briançon leaving the world of winter sports enthusiasts awestruck captures Vaultier's fearless descent down a unique course that promises no speed checks Serre Chevalier Briançon boasts a rich history as one of the most legendary ski resorts in the world has been a haven for winter sports enthusiasts for decades it offers the perfect blend of picturesque scenery and challenging terrain making it a mecca for skiing and snowboarding The track's unforgiving design demanded impeccable balance His seemingly effortless descent showcased his exceptional mastery of the snowboard and an unparalleled level of fearlessness Vaultier's extraordinary ride at Serre Chevalier Briançon serves as a testament to the endless possibilities within the world of extreme sports It's not just a heart-pounding spectacle; it's an affirmation of human potential and the enduring spirit of adventure in the breathtaking backdrop of the French Alps.  Don't miss another headline from SNOWBOARDER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of snowboarding An 11-year-old child was seriously injured after falling from a ski lift at a resort in southeast France prompting an inquiry into how the accident happened It happened on Sunday, January 12 at the Risoul ski station (Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur), reported the Briançon PGHM (Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne, mountain rescue service) to BFM DICI The child’s injuries are not said to be life-threatening but were severe enough that they were airlifted to the Briançon hospital by helicopter The gendarmerie has now opened an inquiry into the circumstances of the incident in a bid to determine how it happened.  The incident comes weeks after a severe ski lift crash in the resort of Val Thorens (Savoie) injured eight workers The public prosecutor in that case has suggested that the accident may have been caused by human error but “this does not rule out other technical causes that investigations could determine” Read more: Human error may have caused Val Thorens ski lift crash, says prosecutor Read also: Man dies after falling 40 metres from cable car at French ski resort a ski lift breakdown in the resort of SuperDévoluy (Hautes-Alpes) required the evacuation of 240 people via helicopter and a team from the department's fire and rescue service Read also: 240 skiers evacuated by helicopter after French ski lift breaks down  The resort is set to remain open to the public and not only to professionals Authorities are instead planning a ‘four season model’ – but some locals are not happy The Travelski Night Express will begin service this December and start selling tickets in May A British man died while kayaking in the river Durance in south-east France on Tuesday June 12 A rescue operation was launched on Tuesday afternoon to help “kayakers in difficulty in the river” the police of the Hautes-Alpes department said on X.  Local media report a group of British kayakers got into difficulty while on the river Three people were spotted struggling in the river two trying to help a third who had flipped over “I confirm the death of a man of English nationality,” public prosecutor Marion Lozac'hmeur told Dauphiné Libéré.  The paper said the kayakers were part of an organised group on the river Kayaking is a popular activity in the area An investigation has been launched into the cause of the incident The high level of the water because of melting snow appears to have been a factor It comes after the death of an Irish kayaker on Monday in Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye President Trump is cited as a major factor but is not the only reason for the area’s popularity Airport figures exceeded the pre-Covid record last year City council reduce time that a property can be rented to short-term guests The secret is out on a Southern Alps destination long overlooked by British skiers Lifestyle | Travel The buzz of excitement was palpable when Didier proposed his plan for my final day’s skiing at Serre Chevalier Does that sound okay?” the instructor asked our small group who had skied with him through our sunny week in the southern Alps we had assembled outside our Club Med resort each morning and afternoon ready to hone our technique under Didier’s expert eye while exploring the 410 hectares of marked runs and many more off-piste areas that make up the largest ski area in the region We had traversed mile after mile of mostly blue and red runs sometimes having to bus it back to our warm and welcoming accommodation from one of the other villages we skied into – tired but exhilarated – in the valley at the end of the day before meeting up with our children for some family-friendly apres-ski Now we were ready for our ultimate challenge My eyes squinted in the bright sunshine as Didier pointed to the Pic de L’yret “Are there any sheer drops at the edge of the run?” I asked him nervously but after four days of thrilling skiing I wasn’t going to bail out now after arriving at the top of the long open chairlift ride is staggeringly beautiful a full panorama of the southern Alps emerged Didier pointed out the landmark peaks that had come into view: to the west Barre des Ecrins (4,102m) and La Meije (3,984m) a spectacular red run Didier chose over the alternative After successfully negotiating the tricky first few turns we headed off into a vast expanse of eminently skiable off-piste snow trying our hand at a few little jumps and natural half-pipe sections After skiing all the way back to the Club Med hotel situated yards from a gentle green run just a couple of hundred yards up the slope from the Pontillas gondola station we reflected on a spectacular end to the day – and week – over a beer in the hotel lounge while reuniting with our equally happy children Club Med Serre Chevalier lies in the heart of the southern Alps a region that is off the radar for many Brits due to its lengthy three-hour drive from popular alpine fly-in hubs like Geneva and Lyon it is a much more palatable 1hr 45mins transfer from Turin Gatwick and Luton served by British Airways The drive past picturesque Italian villages and mountaintop forts is spectacular Best budget ski goggles for a super clear view Best sunglasses for skiing and snowboarding How Guerrilla.Co is tackling road-runoff pollution in the UK Club Med recently reopened its Serre Chevalier resort after an extensive renovation The décor is in keeping with broader Club Med style – warm There is a strong emphasis on natural wood and textiles creating a sense of connection with nature which adjoins an expansive central lounge filled with super comfortable sofas and pouffes in bright and cheery shades of red A large spiralling staircase connects the lounge connects with the main restaurant a floor above and the ski room one below Children will enjoy running around on all the soft carpets and rugs Spacious and ultra-comfortable rooms cater for families or couples most including balconies overlooking the mountains Ours had a children’s room (balcony) with two single beds interconnected with the main adult bedroom Each has its own bathroom which helps a lot when you’re trying to get two kids ready for the slopes at the same time There is loads of storage space for all those salopettes and jackets as well as your casual non-ski gear wood and natural textiles are again to the fore with checked throws adding a dash of colour on the white linen The buffet restaurant offers a seemingly-endless range of delicious options which change through the week so you never get tired of the ‘same old thing’ my list of favourites can be easily reeled off: clam gnocchi (how good?!) croziflette (traditional French mountain pasta bake with bacon and reblochon cheese) And even the fussiest of children should also be easily pleased with plenty of unadventurous-but-tasty favourites like burger the house wine and draught lager (Kronenburg) are very decent while the bartenders will happily serve up pretty much any cocktail you desire you can adopt the ‘all you can eat/drink’ approach without fear of consequence The beauty of Club Med Serre Chevalier is how easy everything is Once you’ve been fitted with boots and skis it’s super simple to get on the slopes as it is a “ski-in/ski-out” resort The hotel runs a ski club for children aged four and upwards leaving mum and dad free to hit the slopes at their leisure Any youngsters less keen on skiing can join an indoor kids club where staff are on hand to keep them entertained with plenty of games and crafting materials while teenagers have their own designated space to hang out The resort also has an indoor swimming pool with huge windows affording views across the slopes and mountains beyond where a range of wellness treatments are available for an extra charge A full programme of entertainment is offered every evening in a big theatre that adjoins the lounge - including quizzes for kids Have your phones at the ready at lunch time when a Club Med DJ will usually be mixing some tunes on the sunny (if the weather is playing ball) terrace drinks and even the occasional colourful smoke bomb as the staff (or ‘Gentile Organisers’ Seven nights all-inclusive stay at Club Med Serre-Chevalier French Alps from £2,905 per adult (based on double occupancy) with return flights from London with transfers included VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in major blow for Putin ahead of Victory Day celebrations Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in blow for Putin BBC admits to ‘lapse’ in standards after Today coverage of Harry interview Pregnant Jesy Nelson reveals plans for future in message from her hospital bed after surgery Pregnant Jesy Nelson reveals plans for future in message from hospital New visa crackdown as Home Office plans to restrict applications from nationalities most likely to overstay New visa crackdown as Home Office plans to restrict applications The third World Cup in three weeks took place in Briançon A few big names were missing from the men’s competition and the semi-final round knocked out a few usual finalists but there was still no shortage of talent in Finals Canadian fans were excited to see Sean McColl coming out fourth to last while Americans were psyched to see Sean Bailey making Finals for the first time this season as well as finishing semi-finals in the top spot ended up in 5th behind Bosi’s 4th due to a countback to Semis 16-year old Hidemasa Nishida climbed first and ended up in first Silver went to Hiroto Shimizu and Bronze to Shuta Tanaka Slovenia’s superpower Janja Garnbret was back in Finals after missing the final round for the first time in her career in Chamonix last week Garnbret finished third in the semi-final round behind two 15-year old climbers Natsuki Tanii from Japan and Chaehyun Seo from Korea The Finals route was superbly set with only two ties and mostly increasing high-points After Mia Krampl matched Ashima Shiraishi’s highpoint (hold 36) Garnbret came out and gave a spectacular effort to top the route (hold 42) to a wildly cheering crowd Tanii came close to topping but fell on the final dyno and earned herself a second win and third podium in three weeks of World Cup competitions A remarkable feat for such a young climber FULL RESULTS HERE the fourth Lead World Cup of 2023 was held in Briançon Japan absolutely dominated the men’s competition with seven of the top eight finalists representing the country World Cup newcomer Sorato Anraku won gold after being the only athlete to top the men’s route The 16-year-old has been on a tear this World Cup season taking gold in the Innsbruck boulder event and winning the overall 2023 boulder season he is the first climber from Japan to win both a Boulder and Lead World Cup event Anraku has been incredibly consistent thus far in the 2023 Lead World Cup making the finals at each event – a laudable achievement in and of itself Is he on his way to win the overall season for both boulder and lead It’s a feat that’s never been done within the same year in men’s World Cup competition “I’m surprised to win,” said Anraku after earning gold “I love doing both Boulder and Lead and I want to win more medals I really want to win the World Championships as well I practice a lot and I want to win them all.” Anraku was joined by teammates Taisei Homma and Satone Yoshida on the podium Both athletes fell moving towards hold number 50 her first time ever standing atop a Lead World Cup podium Her success in the series this year has been remarkable as she’s coming off a recent serious knee injury Lukan reached hold 46 and was followed closely by Czech Republic’s Eliska Adamovska and France’s Manon Hily who both fell moving towards hold 45 Adamovska won silver and Manon bronze based on their semi-final standings I’m speechless,” said Lukan after her victory I injured my knee in January and then again in February and I didn’t climb from then until the middle of April I had an ACL tear and a meniscus tear so I went through surgery where they removed half of the meniscus Briançon hosted what would become the first International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup of 2020 The long awaited competition opened to an excited audience who celebrated 17 of the world’s greatest climbers The competition began with a semifinal’s round before moving to Finals the following day According to a press release from the IFSC this competition would become the most internationally broadcasted World Cup in history “Compared to last year’s World Cup in Briançon the number of broadcasting deals signed by the IFSC increased by 38% This is a promising sight amidst the pandemic as it lends hope to an industry struggling under the weight of COVID-related climbing restrictions According to IFSC President Marco Scolaris The IFSC is proud to give the stage here in Briançon (FRA) to our athletes who were able to travel and participate in the event The battle against the COVID-19 pandemic is not over but we want to give hope to those who are fighting and those who cannot travel May the images of our athletes climbing inspire our world.” The Finals rounds on August 22 brought with them strong performances from Italy’s Laura Rogora and the Czech Republic’s Adam Ondra. The rounds opened with the women’s Finals, in which Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret would climb proficiently topping the final’s route alongside Rogora Though they performed equally well in Finals Garnbret would take home the silver after not placing as highly as Rogora in the semifinal round Rogora’s win would be her first World Cup Podium of her career Rounding out the podium, France’s Fanny Gibert would take home bronze in what would become her first Lead Final Gibert’s performance is impressive as she is classically known for her strength in bouldering on the international circuit Gibert would go on to dedicate her climb to her late teammate Luce Douady For the men, Ondra appeared to dominate the competition as the only climber to top out the final’s route. Slovenia’s Domen Skofic would finish in second after a strong performance, while Austria’s Jakob Schubert would take home third. Ondra release a video about the competition here Though Briançon will be the only World Cup of 2020 and Oceania Continental Championships are still scheduled to take place this year Luce’s family closed the highly emotional event with a 7,500 euro donation to CAC (Climbers Against Cancer) The tribute concluded with Luce’s own words I feel a joy that I can’t conceal; a joy that’s so pure that it has to spill out… I spread it everywhere: to each face I pass on my love of life and my cheerfulness.” Featured photo of Jakob Schubert by Jan Virt Be one of the first to try our new activity feed! Tap “Home” to explore. Following three World Cup lead events in as many weeks, patterns are beginning to emerge. Germany’s Alex Megos has a number of outdoor accomplishments to his name, including sends of numerous famed 5.15 climbs like La Rambla and Perfecto Mundo. However, until last weekend, he had never won a World Cup event. Here he eyes up the top hold during the Finals in preparation for a sideways lunge. Although unsuccessful, the attempted move marked a highpoint (45+) for the men’s field. This year’s competition at Briançon took place in a new venue—the town’s Sports Center, notably bigger than the setting of previous year’s events. Here the women’s field—including the U.S. frontrunner Ashima Shiraishi in her trademark long, elaborately designed shorts—heads to the new center’s wall for the start of the Semi-Final round. Japan’s Moe Yoshimura, pictured here heading onto the steeper section of the women’s Semi-Finals route, was one of the few competitors from her country to participate at Briançon. Big names like Akiyo Noguchi and Miho Nonaka were absent due to their participation in the Asian Continental Games. Sweden’s Hannes Puman targets a screw-on catch amid the burly midsection of the men’s semi-finals route. He earned a respectable 14th place finish at Briançon. In addition to competing, Puman has recently been working on several outdoor projects at France’s legendary crag of Céüse with Germany’s Alex Megos.  For a brief time in the Semi-Finals, Sean Bailey of the United States held the highpoint (36+), but as the competition went on, it was not enough to advance to the next round. With South Korea’s Jain Kim absent from Briançon for the Asian Continental Games, Seuran Han (pictured here) became that country’s best hope for a podium. Although she ultimately finished at 22nd and did not advance to the Finals, her adroit performance in Semi-Finals indicated that South Korea’s women’s team has some depth this season.  Canada’s Sean McColl, who previously lived in France, emerged from the isolation area to substantial applause from the French crowd—and commenced to reach a high point of 33+ on the wall in the Semi-Finals. The weekend marked McColl’s official return to lead competition at the World Cup level. McColl approaches the headwall en route to his personal highpoint in the semi-final round. He missed some vital rests that previous competitors had utilized. It will be interesting to see if McColl, an undeniable circuit legend, gets back into the head of the pack as the season progresses. Ashima Shiraishi makes her attempt on the semi-finals route as drizzly weather clears and the sun sinks lower in the sky. Shiraishi has looked strong and fluid in all of her World Cup climbs, and any ensuing event this season could see a gold medal performance from her. Here, shrouded by the event lights at dusk in the Semi-Finals, Shiraishi deadpoints to a series of slopers on the headwall’s lip. The slopers would ultimately get her too pumped to reach the top, but not before she earned a place in the Finals.  Semi-Finals concluded with a stellar performance from Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret as the rain began again. Garnbret was not able to top the round’s difficult route, but her highpoint made a strong statement heading into the following day’s Finals.  Slovenia’s Domen Škofic had a chance to match—or best—Megos’s highpoint, as the entire men’s competition came down to the final move on the headwall. Škofic ultimately couldn’t snag the top, but he still finished the competition with a place on the podium. Belgium’s Anak Verhoeven stabilizes herself with a heel hook as she progresses onto the headwall in the women’s Finals. Verhoeven has improved steadily with each competition this season, and her score of 46+ at Briançon was enough to nudge Shiraishi off the podium and earn Verhoeven a third place finish. Garnbret tops out the women’s finals route, earning her second victory for the 2018 season. Her talent and ability were appropriately summarized by commentator Mike Langley, who said that Garnbret “never has a bad day, never has an off move, [and] never reads a sequence badly.”  Garnbret (center), victorious, with the other members of the women’s podium—Austria’s Jessica Pilz (left) with the silver medal, and Verhoeven (right) with the bronze. Although France’s Romain Desgranges (left) and Škofic (right) earned places on the podium, it was Megos (center) who stood highest at the end of the event—and was finally able to add a World Cup win to his already exhaustive climbing resume.  A post shared by Sean McColl (@mccollsean) The most impressive performance in the men’s Semi-Finals was that of Slovenia’s Domen Škofic who managed his time well on the route despite not finding the strategic respite that the commentators called “the thank God kneebar.” Škofic fell a few moves shy from the top but kept alive his hope of reaching a podium for the first time this season While there were reports that she got into a shouting match with her coach following Qualifiers any lingering frustration was not evident; she appeared focused before getting pumped on the headwall three other Slovenian women advanced to the Finals along with Markovič—Vita Lukan Charlie Boscoe and Mike Langley wondered whether Shiraishi’s short stature would pose a problem for the reachy moves on the women’s semi-finals route not only did Shiraishi cruise through the crimps of the midsection without any issues she employed a high heel hook to smoothly move beyond the lip of the headwall—a spot that had proven to be a crux for previous competitors By the time Shiraishi pumped out on the open-hand slopers near the route’s top Boscoe and Langley were wondering whether the subsequent Finals would see Shiraishi’s first-ever World Cup event victory The men’s Finals got underway on Saturday night with an enjoyably old-school route: no funky handholds or requisite body contortions just a lot of crimps prompting resistance-style movement up the wall Switzerland’s Sascha Lehmann and Japan’s Hiroto Shimizu proceeded through a lower section of football-shaped volumes but struggled in the field of large yellow volumes farther up fresh off his victory at Chamonix the week before made it higher but fumbled with a quickdraw clip and could not pull through the headwall’s crimpy traverse The route’s traditional style suited Megos, who has outdoor sends of old-school classics like Biographie and Hubble. He moved effortlessly through the yellow volumes that had stymied other competitors smeared at the top as he worked through the headwall’s crimps and barely missed sticking the sideways lunge for the top (1:03:02 in the livestream) It was a remarkable effort that the last competitor of the heat Megos’ highpoint of 45+ thus marked the decorated German’s first win on the World Cup stage Bailey’s 10th place finish was the highest of the American men with Kai Lightner at 41 and Drew Ruana rounding out the top 50 Markovič kicked off the women’s finals route a sequence of connected wedge-shaped volumes She used a wide right foot to get her body nearly horizontal (2:02:34 in the livestream) on the lip of the headwall Her score of 39+ wasn’t enough to earn a medal but it showed marked improvement from previous events this season but succumbed to a big move off an undercling sloper A spot on the podium continues to elude Shiraishi but her consistency thus far—she’s made Finals in every event she’s competed in—has been impressive The women’s Finals became a nail-biter after Austria’s Pilz topped the route with two competitors still on deck Belgium’s Anak Verhoeven was not able to duplicate Pilz’s top which left the door open for the last climber—Garnbret—to pursue victory Garnbret made easy work of the volume sequences she did so from an even lower foothold than the one Pilz utilized (2:39:08 in the livestream) Garnbret has won the overall title for the last two years and another theme that has emerged this season is whether she’ll be able to repeat that outstanding feat So far—with the victory at Briançon—she’s a contender There was no Speed portion during the weekend although a Paraclimbing Cup made its debut earlier in the week and featured a number of categories It was marked by exciting performances from Great Britain’s athletes—particularly Abigail Robinson who won the women’s Visual Impairment discipline who won in the men’s Forearm Amputee category who won one of the women’s RP (Limited Range France’s Thierry Delarue earned a victory in the AL category as a leg amputee The IFSC’s World Cup blitz continues next week (July 27-28) with an event in Arco, Italy. See our 2018 Climbing Competition Calendar for the full schedule The fourth entry in the 2022 IFSC (International Federation of Sport Climbing) Lead World Cup series went off with a bang in Briançon The IFSC Lead World Cup returned to the French Alps following a week-long break from circuit competition and the respite seemed to pay off for at least a few climbers It appeared to benefit the federation’s route-setting team After receiving some glaring criticism from high places for setting substandard routes in the past two competitions the IFSC’s setters finally stuck the landing in Briançon Narrow victories came in both the men’s and women’s divisions. In the end, Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret continued her unbroken reign over the season who’d previously won bronze and silver this season Grupper is quickly becoming one of the most consistent performers of the 2022 lead season a number of climbers joined Garnbret in criticizing the route setting in Innsbruck which nearly all the climbers topped in the finals round The setting was notably more attuned in Briançon None of the women made it to the top of the final route this weekend just brushing the top hold before popping off and scoring 42+ The maneuver put her one point ahead of silver medallist Korea’s Chaehyun Seo Natalia Grossman (USA) and teammate Brooke Raboutou appeared tied for bronze with 41 points but countbacks ultimately broke the tie in Grossman’s favor It’s Garnbret’s 53rd World Cup medal and 36th gold It’s also her 22nd gold in Lead alone a stat that places her third in the all-time Lead World Cup ranking just behind South Korea’s Jain Kim and Austria’s Angela Eiter Women’s Lead World Cup Results It was a perfect competition for the U.S.’s Jesse Grupper Not only did the 25-year-old display the top performances in the qualifying round but he also duplicated his performance in the semi-finals and was one of just two climbers in the semis to top the route Though none of the men’s competitors managed to top the final route in Briançon Grupper came the closest by controlling the 37th hold It’s his third podium finish in four Lead competitions this year “I’m still pretty much in shock and super psyched I feel like that was probably one of the worst climbed routes of my life in some ways but also I was just so psyched to keep fighting through each move and it felt so good to pull it off,” Grupper said took second in men’s with a score of 35+ It’s Homma’s second consecutive silver medal and third podium this season — he took gold in Villars Germany’s Alexander Megos stepped into third Countbacks to the semi-final round broke the tie It’s the first time this season that Megos has stepped onto the podium He landed his last IFSC medal at the 2021 Lead competition in Villars Men’s Lead World Cup Results What makes for a productive season when you're Adam effing Ondra We take a look at the best climber in the world's year so far You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed.