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Innsbruck has always been a showcase stage on the Bouldering World Cup circuit and last night’s fifth leg of the 2016 season proved no different. After the record breaking qualifiers (67 women and 108 men), an estimated 3700 spectators watched in amazement as the final unfolded, won eventually by Britain’s Shauna Coxsey who after her faux pas in India a week ago set the record straight to win her fourth event this season. Meaning, basically, tht she's won every final she’s managed to qualify for.
Coxsey qualified last for the finals along with local hero Anna Stöhr, but then set a pace no one managed to follow with two fast flashes. Initially Megan Mascarenas kept up and flashed the first two problems as well, but W3 proved simply too difficult for the young American and she eventually slipped into 4th place. Although Japan’s Miho Nonaka solved problem #3 fastest, the 4th and final hurdle turned out to be a showdown between Coxsey and young Slovenian superstar Janja Garnbret, completely at ease despite this being only her second ever senior bouldering competition.
As the spotlight shone on the last problem, the two were separated by just one attempt in Coxsey’s favor and the Brit, on absolute top form like never before, kept her cool and flashed this problem, too, completing her startling run with 4 tops in 8 attempts. Garnbret took her first senior silver with 4 tops in 10 attempts, 3 less than Miho Nonaka who settled for third after winning in India last week. Multiple World Cup winner Anna Stöhr delighted the home crowd and showed she’s still a force to be reckoned with after recovering from her finger injury by claiming 5th place, ahead of Akiyo Noguchi from Japan and Sol Sa from Korea, 6th and 7th respectively after what must have been a fairly frustrating and disappointing final for them.
The last round was anything but disappointing for Jongwon Chon, who demonstrated convincingly why he won the World Cup last year. The young Korean started second-to-last as he’d qualified second in the previous heat, just behind Sean McColl who until Innsbruck had had a decidedly under-par and somewhat unlucky season. Chon laid the foundations by flashing problem #1 and sending problem #2 on his second go, while his flash on #3 secured him an early victory - his first this season. Japan’s Narasaki slipped into second place by sending the last two problems, while Sean McColl pipped Rolands Rugens of Latvia to the post and secured bronze thanks to the smallest of margins - just a couple of less attempts needed to reach a bonus zone. Dmitrii Sharafutdinov found himself in the unusual position of failing to send a single problem in the finals but at least steered his way onto two bonuses, while Martin Stranik, despite fighting valiantly, failed to do even this.
text from planetmountain