Markovič the winner, Garnbret third...

Mina Markovič celebrated her fourth victory on Sunday, November 15, at the final World Cup competition in sport climbing in Kranj, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Slovenia's most successful sport climber also secured the World Cup in lead with her win. The home crowd was thrilled by young Janja Garnbret, who climbed her way to a bronze medal, and Domen Škofic, who finished the Kranj event in fifth place and won bronze in the World Cup combined standings. The big winner was also Czech Adam Ondra, who stepped onto the top podium in Kranj three times – in the final competition and in the overall World Cup standings in lead and combined.

At the anniversary World Cup event in Kranj, held under the auspices of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and for 20 years an indispensable final stop for the world's best sport climbers before the end of the season, 43 women and 66 men from 20 countries competed, including a 15-member Slovenian national team. Eight Slovenians competed in Saturday's semifinals, and in the final elite eight, the Slovenian trio climbed: semifinal winner Janja Garnbret, Domen Škofic in second, and Mina Markovič in fourth from the semifinals. The home crowd once again joyfully filled the Zlato polje hall and with loud cheering carried the sport climbers a bit higher on the Kranj wall, which on Sunday saw no clipped tops. The demanding final routes also thoroughly shuffled the semifinal results.



The taste of Kranj victory in the women's competition was savored for the fourth time by our best sport climber Mina Markovič, who thus joined legendary Frenchwoman Liv Sansoz at the top of the Kranj ladder with four wins. With her win in Kranj, she convincingly won the World Cup in lead for the third time in her stunning career and thus ended this season with the best possible scenario. Second place and her first Kranj medal went to young Austrian Jessica Pilz, while bronze shone around the neck of barely 16-year-old Janja Garnbret on her premiere Kranj test, unbeatable in the youth category this year, who thus stepped onto the podium for the third time in her senior World Cup career and showed that she will be a serious rival to older competitors in future seasons.



In the men's competition, Czech Adam Ondra climbed to gold with a strong final performance; he had already won the Kranj accolade last year and in 2009, and this year he also became the World Cup winner in both lead and combined. Canadian Sean McColl, a bouldering master who won in Kranj in 2011, held onto his second place from the semifinals. Third place went to Austrian Jakob Schubert, the leader after the semifinals. Slovenia's most successful climber Domen Škofic, after a promising semifinal where he shared second place, ended the final act of this year's World Cup in front of the home crowd in fifth place, celebrating bronze in the overall World Cup combined standings, while finishing the lead season in fourth.



Slovenia was represented at the Kranj World Cup final by a 15-member team, eight of whom advanced to the semifinals. In addition to the finalists Markovič, Garnbret, and Škofic, Urban Primožič (14th), Rebeka Kamin (17th), Tjaša Slemenšek (18th), Veronika Meke (25th), Tjaša Kalan (26th), Martin Bergant (30th), Jure Raztresen (31st), Julija Kruder (39th), Kaja Skvarč Božič (40th), Milan Preskar (41st), Anže Peharc, and Tim Unuk (both 44th) gave their all at the Kranj event.



Great Kranj winner Mina Markovič proved that the world competition can be beaten even without fully ideal climbing. "The height I reached was not the highest possible, but the other girls also made some mistakes. We all climbed in not the easiest conditions, but we are mature competitors and know how to defy that too," said the woman from Ptuj and drew a line under this season with a smile: "The whole season was phenomenal. It started excellently with the European champion title and the first World Cup win in Chamonix, continued nicely with wins in Imst and Stavanger, and an ungrateful ankle injury only spurred me on. I was phenomenally prepared all season. This shows that we cooperate excellently with the Slovenian team and coach Roman Krajnik, better year by year." The winner of the 2015 Kranj World Cup and lead World Cup celebrated on home soil also in 2009, 2012, and 2014, and every Kranj competition is a special challenge for her: "Honestly, it was really hard for me to climb in Kranj at the beginning; year by year I cope with this stress more successfully. The first win in 2009 was completely unexpected, it hit me like a stone from Mars and was a reward for the end of the season, but last year's still remains in very fond memory, when I really climbed relaxed, phenomenally, and gave everything so that practically no strength remained in me to hold the next hold, and that is the best feeling that means the most when winning."



"I climbed really well in qualifications and semifinals, but in the final it didn't click as it should have, but I'm still satisfied, so next year – onto new competitions!" already looks ahead the second Slovenian medalist Janja Garnbret, who achieved the first semifinal result at her premiere Kranj World Cup, and bronze in the final, which is another excellent achievement in her fantastic season: "The best season so far behind me. With triple podiums at three senior competitions I'm really satisfied, as well as with the European runner-up title and world youth champion." The barely 16-year-old competitor from Šmartno pri Slovenj Gradcu, who stood on the podium at every competition she entered this year, will represent Slovenian colors also at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if sport climbing makes it to the Olympic family: "I think it would be great for sport climbing because it would be more recognized, so I hope it will be at the 2020 Olympics. We put huge effort into achieving the best results at competitions and I think participation in the Olympics with good results would be the pinnacle of our endeavors and fulfillment of my ambitions and wishes."



Domen Škofic, who after a promising second place in the semifinal ended the competition in fifth, was enthusiastic about the events in Kranj despite the slip. "I'm very satisfied with today's climbing overall, as my main goal was to enjoy the competition and climb as I know how. I did get a bit lost towards the top of the route, misused my physique incorrectly and didn't notice the decisive foot, but that's sport. This time it didn't go my way, but I still enjoyed it. The crowd was incredible, climbing in the Kranj final is really something wonderful," he summed up his impressions and looked back at this year's season: "Despite not such a successful start, I'm extremely satisfied with the season at the end, as I achieved my goal of winning a World Cup competition, which I did in Puurs." The 21-year-old from Radovljica, third in the overall World Cup combined standings, also thinks about good prospects for sport climbing to join the Olympic caravan: "Every athlete's dream is to compete at the Olympics someday, and I also want to compete in 2020. I think sport climbing really deserves to become an Olympic sport."



In Kranj, the Slovenian anthem sounded twice, and the Czech anthem three times, as Adam Ondra took all the accolades: gold in the Kranj World Cup final and overall World Cup wins in lead and combined. "I love competing in Kranj, the wall is perfect and just right for my climbing style. Admittedly, this is already my third win in Kranj, but I have to admit, the hardest for me. I had to work honestly on the wall and despite a small mistake that took some strength, today's climbing was good enough for the final win, and also for the World Cup in lead and combined, which is a real fairy tale," he rejoiced in the Gorenjska capital.



"An exceptional conclusion to another excellent season of ours. There's nothing better than ending the season with a win in Kranj and also an overall win. Hats off to Mina! A bit sorry for Domen, who climbed perfectly to the key point in the route, got a bit lost and missed the foot, otherwise I dare say he would have won. For Janja too, I think she could have gone to the top, but a competition is a competition, final is final, so: excellent!" was satisfied also the selector and coach of the Slovenian sport climbing team Roman Krajnik.



RESULTS of the final World Cup Kranj 2015



women – 43 competitors (source: SP Kranj 2015)





men – 66 competitors (source: SP Kranj 2015)



1. Mina Markovič (SLO)

2. Jessica Pilz (AUT)

3. Janja Garnbret (SLO)

4. Jain Kim (KOR)

5. Anak Verhoeven (BEL)

6. Hélène Janicot (FRA)

7. Mathilde Becerra (FRA)

8. Christine Schranz (AUT)

...

17. Rebeka Kamin (SLO)

18. Tjaša Slemenšek (SLO)

25. Veronika Meke (SLO)

26. Tjaša Kalan (SLO)

39. Julija Kruder (SLO)

40. Kaja Skvarč Božič (SLO)





1. Adam Ondra (CZE)

2. Sean McColl (CAN)

3. Jakob Schubert (AUT)

4. Ramon Julian Puigblanque (ESP)

5. Domen Škofic (SLO)

6. Romain Desgranges (FRA)

7. Minoru Nakano (JPN)

8. Gautier Supper (FRA)

...

14. Urban Primožič (SLO)

30. Martin Bergant (SLO)

31. Jure Raztresen (SLO)

41. Milan Preskar (SLO)

44. Anže Peharc (SLO)

44. Tim Unuk (SLO)





OVERALL STANDINGS World Cup 2015



Lead



women (source: IFSC)





men (source: IFSC)



1. Mina Markovič (SLO) – 527 points

2. Jain Kim (KOR) – 461 points

3. Jessica Pilz (AUT) – 435 points

...

7. Janja Garnbret (SLO) – 225 points

9. Tjaša Kalan (SLO) – 207 points

36. Rebeka Kamin (SLO) – 18 points

39. Tjaša Slemenšek (SLO) – 16 points

54. Veronika Meke (SLO) – 4 points





1. Adam Ondra (CZE) – 458 points

2. Gautier Supper (FRA) – 400 points

3. Jakob Schubert (AUT) – 396 points

4. Domen Škofic (SLO) – 376 points

...

13. Urban Primožič (SLO) – 163 points

41. Martin Bergant (SLO) – 15 points



Combined



women (source: IFSC)





men (source: IFSC)



1. Jain Kim (KOR) – 432 points

2. Akiyo Noguchi – 421 points

3. Yuka Kobayashi (JPN) – 286 points





1. Adam Ondra (CZE) – 674 points

2. Sean McColl (CAN) – 486 points

3. Domen Škofic (SLO) – 407 points





The 2014 Sport Climbing World Cup Kranj was supported by: Krka, d. d., pharmaceutical factory Novo mesto, Marmot, Lumar IG, d. o. o., Iglu šport, 360 Line, d. o. o., Petzl, Raumer, Tendon, Avtohiša Vrtač, Radgonske gorice, d. d., Pivovarna Laško, d. d., Intersport, d. d., Geodetska družba Ljubljana, d. o. o., Fotolito Dolenc, d. o. o., Fakulteta za organizacijske vede Kranj, Val 202, Mesarija Kalan and Sadovnjak Resje.