In the women’s and men’s Lead qualifications held in Innsbruck, Austria, 26 athletes competed for a spot in the finals. The competition was fierce as each athlete gave their all to make it to the top eight.
The women’s event saw two powerhouses, Janja Garnbret of Slovenia and Mori Ai of Japan, go head-to-head for a spot at the top of the route. Both athletes finished with a score of 48+, just a few moves away from victory. However, Garnbret emerged victorious due to her better placement in the qualification round, with Ai finishing in a close second. Jessica Pilz, the crowd favorite, came in third place with a score of 43+.
Annie Sanders of the USA earned her first trip to a Lead final round by making it into the top eight. Another Austrian athlete, Mattea Pötzi, also secured her spot in the finals by finishing eighth with a score of 34+. Julia Fiser achieved her best career placement at ninth place with the same score as Pötzi and Flora Oblasser made an impressive World Cup debut at tenth place with a score of 33+.
Oblasser spoke about her experience saying “The semi-final route was cool and people were so loud. I always enjoy climbing in front of my home crowd and my family was down there somewhere cheering me on. At one point I thought I could climb way higher but I just wanted to make it to the top and make everyone go wild.” The support from the crowd helped push these athletes to achieve their best performances.
