Competitions

Leading

After a long session of several events in different countries, all the qualifier routes, semi finals and then finals there was precisely no change from last year; Yuji Hiranyana won the men’s World Cup and Liv Sansoz the women’s. Both are obviously maintaining the form and strength that have allowed them to be such dominant forces on the scene. Not bad, especially for Yuji who was going to ‘retire’ from competitions.

Bouldering

Remember Pedro Pons, he first came to the world’s attention winning the 1994 Foundry International. Well he was back for 2000 and apparently as strong as ever. Winning in the second, fourth and fifth rounds he proved he was the man, and having gained sufficient points his lead was unassailable. Pons thus lifted the second ever World Cup Bouldering title, with Salavat Rakhmetov from Russia and Daniel Dulac from France coming second and third respectively. The women’s was a much closer run affair, though French Sanrine Levet eventually won, out pointing second and third placed Elena Choumilova from Russia and Myriam Motteau from France. Brit, Claire Murphy climbed her socks off in the events she managed to attend, getting a very creditable (third) podium place in the first event and finished twenty first overall.