The men's qualifications, semifinals, and finals have concluded at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup in Curitiba, Brazil, with results that directly reflect the talent and skill of the competitors. With 115 elite athletes registered to compete in the 407th World Cup event, expectations were high for Curitiba, South America's first IFSC World Cup. Needless to say, the climbers were not disappointed.
During Friday's men's qualification round, all signs pointed toward previous victor Sorato Anraku clinching yet another World Cup win. He claimed first place during qualifications, later followed by first place in the semifinals, where he earned a score of 99.6. With such a clean sweep in both rounds, the final results were expected.
Japan's 18-year-old star Sorato Anraku scored 69.7 to take a gold medal for the second time this World Cup season. Mejdi Schalck (58.9) was just behind Anraku for the silver medal, and fellow Japanese competitor Tomoa Narasaki (39.0) won the bronze medal.
Rock Climber Secures Gold after Dominating IFSC World Cup Curitiba
"I'm very happy for my second World Cup gold in a row, but I wanted to send boulder number four," said Anraku, per the IFSC. "I rested a lot on my attempts because I had to power left, but I felt confident." Anraku's first victory came in Keqiao after he left his opponents defeated on the wall. Now, on a winning streak, the pressure is undoubtedly on him as he continues to pursue more medals.
"I'm not thinking about winning the Series, I will focus on one event at a time, so now it's time to focus on Salt Lake City," he continued, and further reported by the organization. While Anraku and Narasaki were the only two athletes from Japan to reach the podium, the nation also took fourth and fifth place. Curitiba 2025 quickly turned into a time of celebration for the winning country.
On May 23-24, Salt Lake City will host another boulder event, during which athletes can take on elite climber Anraku. Aiming to defend his title, he is likely to come back stronger than ever, and defeating him will require immense strength, power, and tenacity.
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