World Cup finals in bouldering with Adam Ondra – ČT sport – Czech Television

The semi-final boulders that the builders prepared for the competitors did not suit Ondra very well. On the first one, he had to switch hands over several catches and Ondra didn’t even get into the zone. He gave up the futile effort before the five-minute time limit was up to conserve energy.

This paid off for him on the second boulder, which he conquered on the third attempt. On the third, he had trouble moving quickly into the zone, where he needed to grab onto two large structures after a jump. He only managed to do it with six seconds to go, leaving no time for further steps towards the top. “That dolez was very much in my style, but unfortunately there was no time left,” lamented Ondra.

Only a quick top on the last boulder could save his chances of advancement. Just like in the qualification, Ondra showed a strong finish and reached the top on the second attempt. “If I had seen the boulder ahead, I would have said that I couldn’t climb it. I think it was also extremely lucky that I gave it a second try,” he commented on the route, where even the successful climbers consumed many more attempts.

Ondra placed fourth, but after finishing seventh in his qualifying group, he started in the first half of the starting field, so the biggest favorites still had the semi-finals ahead of them. “After training and the first results, I didn’t believe it would work,” Ondra admitted.

But the best climbers from the qualification did not do very well. For example, only Yoshijuki Ogata advanced from a strong Japanese lineup. Conversely, reigning world champion Kokoro Fujii and two-time world champion Tomoa Narasaki were stuck in the semi-finals. “It was probably the most dramatic waiting to see how it would turn out that I’ve ever experienced. I appreciate this result all the more because the boulders were terrible for me,” added Ondra.

In bouldering, which is his weaker discipline, he is a bronze medalist from last year’s European Championship. He last competed in the World Cup in 2021, when he won two races. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been at the bouldering World Cup, every year it’s a bigger and bigger roulette. In the final, you already have a fifty percent chance of a medal,” he added.