Garnbret and Škofic's Victory in Chamonix
13.07.2016
Historic double Slovenian victory by Garnbret and Škofic in Chamonix.
Slovenian sport climbing reached a new milestone with a double victory. At the opening lead World Cup event in Chamonix on July 12, 2016, Janja Garnbret and Domen Škofic triumphed. Last year's Chamonix winner and European champion Mina Markovič finished sixth.
Slovenian climbers, 22-year-old Domen Škofic (ŠPO PD Radovljica) and just 17-year-old Janja Garnbret (Šaleški AO), swept the competition in the evening final of the opening lead World Cup event and secured a double Slovenian triumph. This is Janja's first and Domen's second World Cup victory and an excellent start to the new lead season, which includes seven more events, including the Sport Climbing World Championships in September. The success of the Slovenian team was complemented by 28-year-old Mina Markovič (ŠPK Plus) with sixth place; she won the European lead title in Chamonix last year. Slovenia was also represented by Urban Primožič (PK Škofja Loka), who finished 20th, and Rebeka Kamin (AO PD Domžale) and Martin Bergant (PK Škofja Loka), who both ended at 22nd.
"This year's first competition went like a dream! It's always tough at the start of the season because you don't know what to expect. I felt great in training, but I didn't know what that would mean. Fortunately, this year I put all those thoughts aside and climbed the semifinals relaxed; it gave me confidence and a ticket to the final with a magical atmosphere where I gave my maximum. I'm extremely satisfied with my climbing, and the victory on top with Janja was all the sweeter!" Domen Škofic rejoiced after the evening final's first victory; he finished fourth overall in last year's lead World Cup and won his first World Cup victory in the previous season. Second place went to Italian Stefano Ghisolfi, third to Austrian Jakob Schubert.
"I can't describe with words how happy I am with my first World Cup victory. Before the season, I didn't feel completely prepared, I doubted myself, but I managed to eliminate all negative thoughts and climb as I know how. I liked the final route from the start and entered it with huge desire, which helped me successfully climb it to the top. The victory is all the sweeter because we won together with Domen," Janja Garnbret was excited after the evening spectacle in Chamonix. The youngest finalist yesterday reached the top of the route like second-placed Belgian Anak Verhoeven, but she climbed to the top of the podium with the best performance already in qualifiers and semifinals. Third was South Korean Jain Kim.
Garnbret thrilled in Chamonix last year too, when at her first World Cup event she climbed to silver and the European lead runner-up title, while last year's lead World Cup winner Mina Markovič won in the foothills of Mont Blanc and became European champion. This year, Markovič finished sixth in France and celebrated with her teammates: "After a poor start in qualifiers, I still made it to the final in semifinals despite quite a few mistakes, where I improved my result by two places and ended up sixth. I'm satisfied that the feelings are slowly returning and I look forward to the next competition with pleasure. Congratulations to Domen and Janja for really good climbing throughout the event and a truly top-notch season start and result!"
"At the first lead World Cup event, we experienced a dream outcome. It all started with all competitors qualifying for semifinals and then escalated with three finalists. In the final, ours simply exploded. Mina got a good feel again and with solid climbing improved her result by two places. Domen climbed top-notch and deservedly left all competition behind; this was his second World Cup career victory. Janja confirmed what she showed round after round and as leader after qualifiers and semifinals held the lead until the end of the final. She climbed the route to the top and thus achieved her first World Cup victory. Janja and Domen achieved the first double victory in the history of Slovenian climbing," new selector of the Slovenian sport climbing team Gorazd Hren was satisfied with the excellent placements and new milestone of Slovenian sport climbing.
The next competition for sport climbers awaits already at the weekend - July 15 and 16 in Swiss Villars, July 22 and 23 they will compete again in France, in Briançon.