Second double victory for Janja and Domen
24.07.2016
Slovenian sport climbing heroes Janja Garnbret and Domen Škofic not only defeated all competitors at the third World Cup lead climbing event in French Briançon, but also the rain that greatly complicated climbing in the final. On the evening of July 23, they stepped onto the top podium together for the second time this season, the 17-year-old from Carinthia convincingly won for the third time in a row, while the 22-year-old from Radovljica notched his second win of the year. The Slovenian sport climbing team has thus collected five out of six wins in the first three races of the season. Škofjeločan Urban Primožič achieved seventh place in his second final of the year.
The relentless rain complicated climbing for the top performers in the final, but it could not unsettle Slovenian champion Janja Garnbret (Šaleški AO), firmly determined to reach the top of the final route after topping in qualifications and semifinals. "The route was fantastic and just the right difficulty. I really enjoyed it during the climb regardless of the damp holds and wet wall in some sections. Although I ran out of time two holds below the top, I was still happy with the unofficial top. The win is even better because Domen and I managed to stand together on the top podium again," she was enthusiastic after climbing her third consecutive World Cup lead win. After defeating all competition in the first two races of the season in Villars, Switzerland, and Chamonix, France, the 17-year-old from Šmartno pri Slovenj Gradcu also won in Briançon, France. Second and third places went to Austrians Jessica Pilz and Magdalena Röck. Janja's main rivals, South Korean Jain Kim and Belgian Anak Verhoeven, with whom she shared the podiums in the first two races, were left without medals.
The men's final was postponed to late evening due to heavy rain, but Domen Škofic (ŠPO PD Radovljica) gathered enough concentration and strength for the demanding final route and his third World Cup win. "I don't even know what to say, although we already did it with Janja in Chamonix, it's all incredible again. After the disaster in Villars, I managed to put together top-notch climbing again. In the final route, I almost fell after a few moves when I blindly chased a hold and nearly missed it. Because of that, I climbed extremely tense to the drip at the end of the roof, where I could regroup and finish as needed," the 22-year-old from Radovljica celebrated his second win of the year, while he was thirteenth in the second race. Second was Frenchman Romain Desgranges, third place went to Canadian Sean McColl.
The other Slovenian finalist Urban Primožič (PK Škofja Loka) retained his seventh place from semifinals despite a mistake in the final: "I'm satisfied with my second final placement this year, where not everything went according to plan. I felt good in warm-up, as well as in the initial part of the route. But in the middle section, unfortunately, I made a big mistake when my foot slipped while clipping. Still, I'm happy with the final seventh place and motivated for upcoming races."
"Another win for Janja and Domen and another final for Urban is the yield from the third World Cup race. We had an excellent competition in very difficult conditions, as we didn't know until the last moment if it would even be held due to rain. Otherwise, canceling the final would automatically mean a double triumph for Slovenia, as Janja and Domen were leading after semifinals, but the competitors wanted a fair fight in the final. While Urban unfortunately slipped in the final, Janja and Domen didn't allow themselves that mistake. They climbed flawlessly and both claimed their third career win," was satisfied the selector of the Slovenian sport climbing team Gorazd Hren.
At the French venue, which has hosted the world's best climbers since 2010, eight members of the Slovenian sport climbing team represented Slovenian colors. In semifinals, Tjaša Kalan (AO PD Kranj) also competed, placing 17th, and Rebeka Kamin (AO PD Domžale) finished 24th. In qualifications, Martin Bergant (PK Škofja Loka, 38th), Veronika Meke (DPK Šmartno, 39th), and Milan Preskar (PK Škofja Loka, 50th) ended their competition. Three-time overall World Cup lead winner Mina Markovič did not compete in France, as she will participate only in selected races this season.
The Slovenian sport climbing team is leading by far in lead climbing wins this season, having collected five out of six in three races. Janja Garnbret won all three races, and Domen Škofic stood on the top podium in the first and third. Mina Markovič reached the final once, and Urban Primožič twice, who equalled his best World Cup result with fifth in Villars.
Sport climbers face a short break, then races in Imst (Austria) on August 19-20, Arco (Italy) on August 26-27, Xiamen (China) on October 22-23, and to end the season on November 26-27 in home Kranj (Slovenia). The sport climbing elite will also compete at the World Championships (lead and bouldering) from September 14-18 in Paris (France).
