Markovič gold, Škofic silver in South Korea

Markovič gold, Škofic silver in South Korea – their best results this year at the first stop of the Asian tour

Slovenian climbers are ramping up form ahead of the final World Cup event, which will be held on November 15 and 16 in Kranj. At the first stop of the Asian leg of the World Cup in sport climbing in South Korean Mokpo, the world's best climbers competed in lead and speed climbing. With gold and silver in lead, Mina Markovič and Domen Škofic on October 12 signaled a tough fight for the top spots, their success complemented by Maja Vidmar's 9th place. Markovič claimed her first win of the year, while Škofic achieved his best World Cup placing with second. The Asian tour, moving from South Korea to China and Japan, is followed only by the season finale at the traditional venue in Kranj.

The competition in Korean Mokpo was exciting and full of twists. Among the men, currently the hottest name in sport climbing, Czech Adam Ondra, failed to reach the final despite an outstanding qualifying performance, while local favorite Jain Kim, the season's top climber with three wins and one second place, couldn't advance beyond sixth despite the best qualifying and semifinal results. At the first Asian tour event, Mina Markovič shone with first and Domen Škofic with second, while Vidmar fell just short of the final and rounded out her teammates' success with 9th place.

Domen Škofic competed in the final as second and fell just below the top, which of course meant an excellent result. Jakob Schubert, next up, climbed to the top without major issues. Frenchman Romain Desgranges, third-placed, came closest to the excellent Škofic and Schubert. The 20-year-old Škofic improved his best World Cup result with second place and silver medal in Mokpo, previously third in Chamonix this year as well.

"The route suited me perfectly, it was long and full of tricks where you had to keep a cool head and climb really well. When I fell two moves below the top, I was sure it wouldn't be enough and at least three more competitors would pass me, but it turned out differently," emphasized Škofic, who before heading to Asia became the first in history to onsight the arch of the Solkan Bridge in free technique.

In the women's category, local fans were disappointed by Jain Kim. The world champion and winner of nearly all World Cup events this year fell at the transition to the middle section of the wall and finished only sixth. In contrast, Mina Markovič thrilled. Already in the semifinals she showed excellent climbing, running out of time, and was again outstanding in the final, falling just below the top. This is Markovič's best result this year, making her the third woman to win a World Cup event this season. Like Mina, second-placed Belgian Anak Verhoeven repeated strong final climbing, while Helene Janicot earned third.

After her 15th World Cup win – and first this year – Mina Markovič said: "I'm happy to be climbing well again, that's the most important thing. I've always had good experiences in Asia and this time I felt the heat, excitement, and satisfaction of competing here already in qualifiers, the whole tour is an excellent experience. The final route was different from usual, especially

the first third was tricky and didn't allow fluid climbing, but you had to constantly search for solutions, step over, actively follow the route and adjust the next moves. The second half was fluid, you could rest and continue straight up. I admit I'm a bit angry at myself for not topping out, as I think I could have, making the win even more fulfilling. The win is certainly a good boost for the future, but for me the most important is that I've started climbing as I know how again, started enjoying climbing again. I'm not stressed about future results, but I want to enjoy it like at this competition and get the most out of every route climbed."

The excellent start to the Asian tour is a great boost for Slovenian climbers for the next three events still ahead this season under selector Roman Krajnik. This coming weekend features the event in China, in 14 days in Japan. The season's final event is traditionally hosted by Kranj – November 15 and 16, 2014 – and based on results so far, top performances from Slovenian climbers can be expected on home soil.

Final results

Men (source: IFSC)

Women (source: IFSC)

1. Jakob Schubert (AUT) 2. Domen Škofic (SLO) 3. Romain Desgranges (FRA)

1. Mina Markovič (SLO) 2. Anak Verhoeven (BEL) 3. Helene Janicot (FRA) ... 9. Maja Vidmar (SLO)

Standings in the overall World Cup lead climbing

Men (source: IFSC)

Women (source: IFSC)

1. Jakob Schubert (AUT) - 410 points 2. Romain Desgranges (FRA) - 306 points 3. Sean McColl (CAN) - 295 points 4. Domen Škofic (SLO) - 259 points ... 17. Urban Primožič (SLO) - 71 points

1. Jain Kim (KOR) - 427 points 2. Magdalena Röck (AUT) - 395 points 3. Anak Voerhoeven (BEL) - 320 points 4. Mina Markovič (SLO) - 314 points ... 11. Maja Vidmar (SLO) - 120 points 26. Katja Kadič (SLO) - 28 points 58. Jera Lenardič (SLO) - 4 points