KeithSharplesPhotographyBlog :: World Cup Champs

The business day at Cliffhanger was even sunny and hotter that the qualification day – not a day for bearing down hard on small crimps or slopey volumes but that’s just what the World Cup hopefuls had to do – big style…

The top-placed twenty men and women from Saturday’s qualification round got the invite to come back for a second day of Cliffhanger crimping and cranking. There was plenty of pure pulling power amongst the top guns as you’d expect. In the guys comp Alex Rubtsov, Thomas Caleyron and Killian Fischhuber were top-placed in the semi’s whilst for Team GBR Ned Feenally, John Partridge and Steward Watson were flying the colours. Nigel Callendar was also on-board for the Emerald Island. In the women’s competition, Alex Puccio, Akiyo Noguchi and Juliane Wurm placed 1^st through 3^rd in the semi’s but there was a strong GBR contingent too with Dianne Merrick, Shauna Coxsel, Mina Leslie-Wujastyk, Leah Cranne, Katy Whittaker and Gill Peet all in the mix.

Whilst qualification have been all about crimping and cranking along with some rock-over and groove action, the semi’s and finals were all about volumes. Not the fridge-hugger type but the smaller, slopey versions both molded and wood-based. One problem even featured two woodies – back to back – save a flared slot betwixt the two; a jamming paradise!

Despite strong performances from some seasoned GBR competitors none of our athletes made the final. Sadly, both Ned Feenally and Diane Merrick placed seventh and just missed the final’s cut by a single placing! John Partridge and Steward Watson placed 10^th and 11^th respectively. In the women’s comp Diane was joined in the top dozen-placed Brits by Shauna Coxsey (8^th) Mina Leslie-Wujastyk (10^th) and Leah Crane (11^th).

The final was even more about volumes – these clearly being the route-setters weapon of choice! As is often the case they devised some cunning problems not least one of the men’s problem which even featured a running jump start! Killian Fischhuber topped the placings in the men’s comp with Cedric Lachat coming 2^nd and Alexey Rubtsov 3^rd. Interestingly, Lachat climbed out of his boots to get second place having finished in 6^th in the semi’s. Daniel Woods form the USA placed 4^th. Akiyo Noguchi from Japan impressed many with her incredibly tenacity to place 1^st. The rest of the women weren’t quite so consistent and many saw a reversal of fortunes. Melissa le Neve finished in 2^nd up from 4^th in the semi’s though Alex Puccio slipped back into 3^rd place from her 1^st place in the semi’s despite some pretty burly pulling on at least one bloc.