May 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, UTAH, USA; Naïle Meignan of France competes in the IFSC World Cup women's boulder final at the USA Climbing National Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

Pan Yufei Claims First Boulder World Cup Gold Medal at IFSC Event

Originally posted on Outdoors on SI | By Maria Aldrich | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 1:15 PM ET

Results swayed quite a bit at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup in Bern, Switzerland, particularly in the men's competition. During the qualification round, Sorato Anraku took the lead as expected. However, events took a turn during the semifinals when Lee Dohyun of South Korea swept in with a near-perfect score of 99.8, just shy of a clean 100.0.

Having posted such a high number, many anticipated seeing Dohyun make a podium appearance in Bern. Unfortunately for him, another athlete — who has largely been flying under the radar — stepped up his game and dominated.

Pan Yufei Secures First Career Boulder World Cup Gold in Bern

Chinese climber Pan Yufei secured his first Boulder World Cup gold medal after unexpectedly rising to the top in Bern. Between Yufei and Mejdi Schalck, Anraku was knocked down to third place while Schalck — the World Cup champion of Prague — took second. Yufei's victory came after he received a final score of 84.2, while Schalck followed closely behind with an 84.1. Sorato landed an 83.7, which left him in the dust, despite not being too far off.

"The last few years have been really tough for me, I struggled so much and I thought I was not good enough, " Yufei told the IFSC. " I started to change my mind and not put too much pressure on myself. At the beginning of the season, it was not so good, but this time I just wanted to enjoy myself."

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Seemingly miles behind the three podium finishers was Dohyun in fourth place with a score of 54.5. Considering the impressive score he landed in the semifinals, his final performance was rather underwhelming. However, that is the nature of climbing — the boulder problems are ever-changing, and some athletes respond better to specific types of problems.

Events in Bern have now come to an end, but athletes have little time to relax before they're off to Innsbruck, Austria, for yet another round of Boulder World Cup madness from June 25-29. The competition will begin with the men's qualification and will be followed by the women's qualification, which will dictate the semifinalists.

Not only will Innsbruck host the Boulder discipline, but it will also welcome Lead climbers later in the competition. Climbers will be pushing the limits while battling it out in hopes of adding another title to their accolades.

This article first appeared on Outdoors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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