New victory for Janja Garnbret

New victory for Janja Garnbret, Luka Potočar and Vita Lukan in the final.

At the opening event of the World Cup season in lead climbing in Innsbruck, Austria, Janja Garnbret showed that she remains the best sport climber. In the demanding competition, she secured her 33rd World Cup victory. Garnbret's success was complemented by the other Slovenian finalist Vita Lukan, who took seventh place. Luka Potočar, the only Slovenian finalist among the men, demonstrated with fourth place that he is well prepared for the new season.

Slovenia's most successful sport climber Janja Garnbret returned to the World Cup circuit in sport climbing in Innsbruck after nearly two months of rest with a new victory. This time she did not confirm the victory by topping the route, but with a height of 39+ she was by far the highest on the wall. "When I heard that the competitors before me were falling very quickly, I was a bit nervous at first, since I didn't know where that problematic section was, but on the other hand I was glad because I knew that finally a demanding route had been set, which is the best challenge for me. The reason for the smile was therefore that I made the move that the others couldn't manage. I knew it was hard and after it I could climb relaxed onwards."

The 23-year-old Olympic gold medalist claimed her 33rd World Cup victory on Austria's Tyrol. "Although I have already won everything, every new victory means a lot to me. I don't take any competition or victory for granted. The girls are excellently prepared, so I can't say in advance that I will definitely win the competition. Today's victory means even more to me after last year's mentally and physically demanding season. After it, I had to set new goals. It's getting harder and harder for me to win, everyone expects perfection from me and accepts nothing less than victory. But I know that if I go into the competition with positive thoughts, I have nothing to fear."

Italian Laura Rogora, who went to the wall last, was no match for the Olympic champion's achievement. She ended the competition with a height of 27+ in fourth place. It was the height reached also by American Brooke Raboutou and South Korean Chaehyun Seo, but the latter took the podium spots based on better time, third and second place. In the semifinals, five actually topped the route.

Luka Potočar also did not buckle under pressure. He confidently set off into the wall and in a very close battle ended up in fourth place. "This was a performance that I will take as an indicator of good preparation. I felt good during the competition, unfortunately it didn't work out for the podium in the end. Fourth place is good motivation for continuing the season and an even stronger desire for podium finishes."

American Colin Duffy won with height 38+, Japanese Ao Yurikusa and American Jesse Grupper took second and third place, both reaching height 37+. Potočar reached height 37.

The 20-year-old from Jesenice was the only Slovenian representative in the men's final, and among the Slovenian women, 21-year-old Vita Lukan also competed. She was eighth in the semifinals, finishing seventh overall. "The route was tough, I made a mistake, my hand slipped and I simply fell. I'm disappointed, the route was really good and I wanted to climb further. Even though it was hot at the start and the sun was shining directly on the wall, that shouldn't be an excuse. Competitors are used to training in heat and all impossible conditions. Despite the slightly bitter aftertaste, I know that today's competition shows that I am well prepared and that many final appearances await me this season."

Domen Škofic, the second Slovenian semifinalist, finished the competition in 18th place. Milan Preskar missed the semifinals by one spot and landed in 27th, Martin Bergant was 59th.

Six Slovenian women competed in the semifinals. Lučka Rakovec and Lana Skušek shared 18th place, Sara Čopar and Mia Krampl finished 21st. Lucija Tarkuš and Tjaša Slemenšek ended the competition in qualifications, Lucija in 55th, Tjaša in 61st.

That the first lead competition is a good season preview was agreed by Slovenian national team selector Gorazd Hren: "I was glad that the final was tough, as the qualifications and semifinals were too easy. In the final, Janja showed she is far the best and won confidently. Shame that Vita made a mistake, the route suited her. She showed she is ready for finals. Team-wise, the girls showed good form in lead, so expectations are high. Luka climbed excellently, he just lacked a bit of luck and the medal would have been here. The other guys are in good form too and I know they will show it later in the season."

In Innsbruck, this year's World Cup bouldering season concluded. Indeed, none of the Slovenian sport climbers made the top six in the final, but Katja Debevec and Zan Lovenjak Sudar showed their best results of the year.

27-year-old Katja Debevec did not repeat last year's sixth place; in Innsbruck she took 15th. 24-year-old Zan Lovenjak Sudar showed less than last year, when he ended the season with an excellent 9th at the World Championships in Moscow. He finished his last bouldering outing in Innsbruck in 16th.

Without semifinals were Anže Peharc in 25th, Jernej Kruder in 29th, and Matic Kotar in 47th. Of the three Slovenian women in qualifications, only Katja Debevec advanced to semifinals. Vita Lukan and Julija Kruder finished women's qualifications in 29th and 59th.

"The bouldering season didn't quite go to plan. We started it with Janja Garnbret's victory, but later the guys and girls too often stopped in semifinals. Luckily Salt Lake City happened, where Anže Peharc showed his best climbing and delivered a top result. That was the bouldering season highlight. I'd like the others to step up too and our team to improve in bouldering. We'll work hard on it for even better results next year," concluded selector Hren.