The climbers of the IFSC World Cup Keqiao give us their thoughts:
MEN’S BOULDER SEMI-FINAL
Jakob SCHUBERT (AUT)
“It was ok, but not very good I would say. I had two heartbreakers where I fell trying to match the top so that’s always a bit frustrating. I’m trying to be in good Boulder shape, but I wouldn’t say I was peaking for this event.
“The advantage of being qualified for the Olympics already is that I can train like I do most years. Like last year was the World Championships in August, and this year the Olympic is in August. I do Boulder first and then Lead, so I haven’t actually trained any Lead yet. But I always just try and train my weaknesses, so a lot of slabs lately, and I was going to flash the slab here and had one hand on the top but just couldn’t match it which was frustrating.”
Dayan AKHTAR (GBR)
“Kind of lost for words after the wait. After dropping the two last moves back-to-back on four and five I thought I had blown it and wasn’t going to make it. But for it to be that close and sitting on the chair for an hour watching everyone go on it was super stressful. I’m lost for words I actually made. I’m over the moon and can’t wait to climb again.”
“As soon as I finished my round I immediately texted my mum, she’s asleep right now so she wouldn’t have seen it anyway, but just to let her know because she has always been my biggest supporter.”
Toby ROBERTS (GBR)
“I had a pretty good round. I didn’t really know what to expect as the routesetters didn’t have a huge amount of time to set the boulders so coming out it was good just to put down a couple of good boulders.”
WOMEN’S BOULDER FINAL
LUO Zhilu (CHN)
“I’m satisfied with my performance. It’s been over a year since my last bronze medal so I am really excited about this. The result is above my expectation. I have made some changes to my training and now I feel more confident and really happy about this result.”
Camila MORONI (ITA)
“I was satisfied with my competition and my climbing, but I didn’t expect this result as it’s the first one of the year and you don’t know how strong the other athletes are. It’s my first time in China, for now I like it as I think it’s lucky for me because it’s my first World Cup medal. I like the venue and also the people.”
Janja GARNBRET (SLO)
“I feel really happy. Of course, after winning you always feel happy but I’m also excited to be back in China after five years. The last time I competed here was in 2019 in Wujiang so it’s good to be back.”
“It’s the first World Cup of the season and you are always a little bit nervous because although I have been training hard over the winter you don’t really know what your competitors have been doing. I knew I was strong and I felt good, but you never know in a competition.”
“Today I really enjoyed myself and I climbed like I wanted to climb. I was calm, felt very confident, and I just enjoyed the atmosphere and the competition.”
WOMEN’S BOULDER SEMI-FINAL
MATSUFUJI Anon (JPN)
“I’m so happy and I can’t believe it. The semi-final round was tough, I’m so tired now. I think the fourth boulder was my favourite as I flashed it. I really like slabs.”
Zelia AVEZOU (FRA)
“The most difficult part for me was recovering from every boulder. They were hard physically so I felt exhausted after each try. I’m feeling excited now though, it’s my first World Cup final. I want to enjoy it as much as I can. I also want to do my best and see what I’m capable of. Let’s just have fun!”
Camilla MORONI (ITA)
“The semi-final round was pretty tough and stressful. The boulders were super hard, especially the second one. The most stressful part was waiting after I had finished for the results to see if I had made the final.”
“I’m super satisfied about my flash on the final boulder, the slab. I’ve worked a lot over the winter on slabs and it’s good to see the work has paid off.”
WOMEN’S BOULDER QUALIFICATION
Elnaz REKABI (IRI)
“I started serious training after the World Cup finished and I knew I would be at the OQS, but after a couple of months I injured my shoulder and left hand, so I’ve had some recovery. I’ve lost a bit of power because of the injuries.”
“This competition is preparation for the OQS and being in this type of atmosphere. Sometimes you need a break from the hard training and to be around other athletes in competition atmospheres.”
“I injured myself climbing, just because I was training so hard. It happened about two months ago. I’ve lost some power so I have had to train other aspects of climbing. Because I have been relying more on the right and compensating I have had a little trouble on my right shoulder but I’m hoping it’s not very serious.”
“I’m doing the two World Cups in China and then I will rest a little and not focus on fighting so much, but I need to be here for the atmosphere ahead of the OQS.”
Oceania MACKENZIE (AUS)
“I would say today was a bit of an easier round, in the B group especially. Coming into this competition I have been feeling good in my preparation, but the first one of the season is always a little scary as you don’t know how you will do and how everyone else is climbing. I feel good after the round and I climbed really confidently, so I am happy.”
“World Cups and Olympics almost have the same value for me. I really enjoy doing the World Cups and I want to do well in them. My main goal is always to be having fun and progressing, so if I do that at the World Cups I will do that at the Olympics, and that is my mindset leading into it.”
Jessica PILZ (AUT)
“I think compared to other seasons I’m not as nervous because it’s not too important yet. I’m taking this competition as training and see how my training is going. My big event is in a few months so I have a different timeline to be in shape compared to some of the other athletes, so I’m not too nervous actually.”
“For Paris [2024] I think I will be nervous, but not yet. There’s still a lot of time to go. I don’t think it will be the same as Tokyo as there was no crowd and no people so Paris will be a lot bigger and a lot more pressure, but I’m also psyched to be there.”
Erin MCNEICE (GBR)
“I’m really excited for tomorrow. The blocks today were really good. It was a bit nerve-wracking as it is the first one of the season but I’m really excited to get another chance to climb tomorrow.”
“I prefer two consecutive days of climbing. I think I would be bored if I had a rest day, I’ve already had two and I don’t want another one.”
“The OQS is my main focus this season. These events are a warmup to that. After this event I will probably go around Europe to get some more competition in before heading to Shanghai for the first OQS.”
Janja GARNBRET (SLO)
“Before the start of the season it’s always a bit of a mystery and always a little bit nervous because I know I have been training hard over the winter but you never know what the other girls will do and how hard they have been training. Today I wasn’t nervous at all, I was very excited to start the season and I enjoyed all the boulders and very focused, mental sharp and I had a lot of fun.”
“Me and my coach, Roman, have chosen a few competitions to do this year. I will do both of the China World Cups, so [Keqiao] and Wujiang, and then Innsbruck, and that will be all before the Olympics. You still need to get into the competition mood but you also need to rest and train in-between. I did something similar for Tokyo and it worked out well then, so hopefully it will again.”
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