Climbing, both sport and alpine, is one of those activities in which the little nation of Slovenia has an outsized presence, and this weekend saw the opening event of the season with regard to the former – the first bouldering competition of the IFSC 2019 Climbing Worldcup, held in Meiringen, Switzerland.
Taking first place for the women was Janja Garnbret, the Slovene teen said to be “the best climber in the world”, and an athlete whose progress it’s been a joy to follow over the last few years, as the sport gears up for it’s first appearance in the Olympics (Tokyo 2020). Garnbret took gold, followed by Akiyo Noguchi (Japan) and the UK’s Shauna Coxsey.
With regard to the men’s event, this was won by Japan’s Kokoro Fuji, followed by Jongwon Chon (Korea) and Tomoaki Takata (Japan). The highest ranked Slovene was Jernej Kruder, in 11th place.
You can follow all our sports climbing coverage here, while our stories on alpinism are here
