Slovenian sport climbers at the 20th World Cup event...

Slovenian sport climbers at the 20th World Cup event in Kranj fighting for the highest honours

All paths of the best sport climbers this weekend, November 14 and 15, lead to Kranj, which will be the

20th consecutive venue for the World Cup final in sport climbing lead; it will also decide this year's

World Cup winners. Among more than 110 competitors from 20 countries

there will also be a 15-member Slovenian team led by the most successful, Mina Markovič, Janja Garnbret and

Domen Škofic, who will compete for honours with the support of the home crowd. Their goals

were presented at today's press conference at the headquarters of the Alpine Association of Slovenia in Ljubljana.

The 2015 Sport Climbing World Cup, held under the auspices of the International Federation of Sport Climbing

(IFSC), will traditionally conclude in the Zlato polje hall in Kranj. Sport climbing is in the spotlight this year

due to good prospects of becoming an Olympic discipline. "This year's event in

Kranj brings two special features, the first is the jubilee of the 20th uninterrupted organisation of the event, the second is

the Olympic wind that has blown into the sails of the international sport climbing organisation, whose goal is excellent

presentation of the sport at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. In Kranj, there will be

observers from the International Olympic Committee, who will report on the competition to the programme

commission and executive board of the IOC, from which we expect final confirmation in

December this year of the proposal to include sport climbing in the programme of the 2020 Olympic Games," announced the head

of the PZS Sport Climbing Commission Aleš Pirc.

The World Cup final in sport climbing in Kranj is considered one of the best organised and

most popular among competitors, and at the same time its organisation places the Alpine Association of Slovenia

among the larger sports associations also in the field of competitive sports and gives it recognition and prestige both

in Slovenia and abroad. "Kranj is today a classic stop on World Cup events and in terms of tradition it can be matched only by the two largest masters in the world – Serre Chevalier and Arco. This year the

competition will be held for the twentieth time in a row and no city has as many World Cup events as

Kranj," emphasised experienced SP Kranj organiser Tomo Česen. "The event is extremely well regarded in the

World Cup caravan, considered one of the best, if not the best, both among coaches who only

praise it and competitors who always come the most to Kranj," added the selector of the Slovenian

national team Roman Krajnik. More about the history of the Kranj World Cup event.

"113 competitors are registered, more than last year. The start list has 44 women and 69 men," reported

Česen and presented the competition and schedule. On Saturday, November 14, qualifications begin

for men at 9:00, women's qualifications follow at 14:00, semi-finals that evening at 20:00. Sunday, November 15,

is reserved for the final starting at 18:45. "I count on the support of the spectators, as the event will decide

the overall rankings for both women and men. Our competitors are in the game, which I hope is

sufficient reason for enough spectators to come to the hall and create the right atmosphere, as always," added

the head of the 2015 Kranj World Cup.

COMPETITION SCHEDULE (Source: SP Kranj 2015 website)

Saturday, November 14

9:00 men's qualifications

14:00 women's qualifications

20:00 semi-finals

Sunday, November 15

18:45 final

The 15-member Slovenian team at the Kranj World Cup final consists of female climbers

Mina Markovič, Janja Garnbret, Tjaša Kalan, Julija Kruder, Tjaša Slemenšek, Rebeka Kamin,

Veronika Meke and Kaja Skvarč Božič, while in the men's competition Domen Škofic, Urban

Primožič, Martin Bergant, Anže Peharc, Milan Preskar, Jure Raztresen and Tim Unuk will compete. More about Slovenian

competitors at the SP Kranj 2015 event.

"We have had a really successful season behind us, which is not over yet, as we are waiting for Kranj," was satisfied the coach

of the Slovenian senior national team in sport climbing Katja Vidmar, who listed this year's achievements

of the representatives in the World Cup. "With this season I am more than satisfied, as we have again

made a step forward, set some milestones – we got a European champion in lead, which we didn't have before,

we repeated the greatest success with five finalists at a World Cup event, which was last in

2003, we achieved the first victory in men's competition not on home soil but abroad, which Domen managed," highlighted selector and coach of the Slovenian team Roman Krajnik and presented

expectations before the big season final: "We are excellently prepared for the event. If they enjoy it on the competition

and climb as they are currently prepared, I think the results at the end will be as everyone

expects."

Mina Markovič, who this year won the European champion title for the first time in her career, has already won three times

in Kranj, and won the World Cup in 2011 and 2012. Currently leading in the overall standings

of the World Cup in lead, she said before the Kranj final: "The season so far has been very

successful, it's not over yet, but I can already say that I am very satisfied. Unlike previous years, I

decided to focus on lead. It started in the best possible way, with a win at the opening

World Cup event and the European champion title. After the later ankle injury in Briançon, the next wins in Imst and Stavanger mean even more to me. This season I really enjoyed the events,

except for the unfortunate performance in China. I've been in top form all year.

I know I am capable of climbing very well and for this finale I really just want to climb and nothing

else."

Janja Garnbret, this year's world and European youth champion in lead and bouldering and

European runner-up in lead in the senior category, will make her debut in Kranj. "This season

has been the best for me so far, besides the world youth champion title I was also European

runner-up and second at the World Cup event in Imst. For Kranj I will be mainly relaxed,

I will enjoy it and we'll see what the result will be," she said at the press conference.

Domen Škofic achieved a new milestone this season, his first World Cup win, which he consolidated with 2nd place at the last event in China. "So far I am very satisfied with the season. I achieved

my main goal, a World Cup win. The start of the season was not easy, perhaps due to too many

expectations, I had some problems, like Mina I twisted my ankle. I had to relax and then

it clicked. In the last two weeks I had some health issues, I feel better again and hope that

I will be healthy in Kranj and nothing will bother me. I believe I will enjoy it, if so, I believe the

result will be as it should be," he predicted before Kranj.

The Kranj event will decide the honours in this year's World Cup. Mina Markovič, currently

leading in the WC lead overall standings, 33 points ahead of her long-time rival, South Korean

Jain Kim, with whom they have each stood on the top step three times this year, is on track to win the World Cup in lead again after 2011

and 2012. Even tighter is the men's World Cup lead overall standings, where the difference between the top four climbers is less than 40 points, so

Domen Škofic trails the leading Frenchman Gautier Supper by only 38 points, second and third are currently Czech Adam Ondra and Austrian Jakob Schubert; Škofic is also third in combined.

Current standings in the World Cup lead overall

women (source: IFSC) men (source: IFSC)

1. Mina Markovič (SLO) – 467 points

2. Jain Kim (KOR) – 434 points

3. Jessica Pilz (AUT) – 410 points

...

7. Tjaša Kalan (SLO) – 207 points

11. Janja Garnbret (SLO) – 160 points

1. Gautier Supper (FRA) – 400 points

2. Adam Ondra (CZE) – 390 points

3. Jakob Schubert (AUT) – 378 points

4. Domen Škofic (SLO) – 362 points

...

12. Urban Primožič (SLO) – 139 points

38. Martin Bergant (SLO) – 14 points

Current standings in the World Cup combined overall

women (source: IFSC) men (source: IFSC)

1. Jain Kim (KOR) – 428 points

2. Yuka Kobayashi (JPN) – 282 points

3. Aya Onoe (JPN) – 212 points

1. Adam Ondra (CZE) – 617 points

2. Sean McColl (CAN) – 406 points

3. Domen Škofic (SLO) – 393 points

4. Jakob Schubert (AUT) – 391 points

Journalists and photographers are asked to accredit via the IFSC online form.

The competition website has more detailed information and all results after

qualifications, semi-finals and finals will be published there, as well as photos. We will also post everything promptly on the PZS website and PZS Facebook page.

Spectators can buy tickets before the start of the competition at the entrance to the Zlato polje sports hall in

Kranj, for Saturday's qualifications and semi-finals they will pay 4 euros, for Sunday's final 8 euros.

Live viewing of the event will be available via LIVE STREAM through the International Federation of Sport Climbing

IFSC, the final on Sunday, November 15, will be broadcast at 19:00 on TV Slovenia's 2nd channel. Media sponsor of the Kranj 2015 World Cup is Val 202.

The successes of Slovenian sport climbers, who have been shaping the world top of sport climbing for years,

are the result of good, planned and persistent work of teams, coaches and climbers, their

passionate dedication and effort, so they deserve our strong live support on home soil.

Heartily invited to Kranj!