IFSC commentator Matt Groom reports from the IFSC Speed and Boulder World Cups in Seoul...

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This weekend the Asia leg of the circuit continued from Japan to South Korea, featuring a return to the Jungnang Stadium. Nestled underneath a mountain with the city spread out below us, it's a beautiful and tranquil location for a climbing competition. 

Before I talk about the bouldering, we should have a look at the world record-breaking Speed finals. The Speed wall had been replaced this year and the new surface seemed to increase the likelihood of world records. Veddriq Leonardo (INA) broke his own record twice and pushed the men's Speed time under 5 seconds (4.90) on his way to gold, while Aleksandra Miroslaw (POL) broke the record four times (new WR: 6.25 seconds), and also won gold. Aleksandra hasn't missed a finals since 2013, demonstrating her amazing consistency. These records have been talked about for a while, and the athletes truly delivered on expectations in Seoul.

Conditions can make the difference between success and failure. We pray to the weather gods for cool temperatures and clear skies….but occasionally they seem angry. In Korea the heavens opened and luck was not on the IFSC's side.

The danger with outdoor competitions is that the weather can adversely affect the schedule. I woke up on Saturday morning to heavy rain sweeping across Seoul. Despite best efforts from the organisers, the rain prevented the Men's qualifier from going ahead. This meant a re-shuffle in the schedule so the semi-final round became the equivalent of the finals and provided the rankings for the athletes. Officials have to ensure that conditions are the same for athletes at the start and end of qualifying and the mats were simply too wet to guarantee this.

It was a situation that hadn't really occurred before. In Wujiang 2018, we saw the semi-finals result being used, but a men and women's semis at the same time as a final is a first. It actually made for quite an interesting scenario. The setters used the boulders they had prepared for the final, but there was no observation time and 5 minutes of time were allowed for each climb. It meant the climbing never stopped, and respect to our Obsess Media team for never missing a moment. With 8 athletes climbing at the same time, that was a big task.

There is a debate to be had about whether outdoor stadiums are appropriate for an event like this. Without them we loose the stunning backdrops that we see in Chamonix and Korea, but you run the risk of cancellations. I think it would be a shame to loose them, but adequate roofs should always be in place. As with many things it comes down to money, with some venues being unable to afford the cost of replacing or building proper weather-proof structures. 

Team GB's Max Milne (GBR) put last week's disappointing comp (by his standards) behind him and cruised into the semi-finals in 3rd place, and ended up in 11th while Toby Roberts (GBR), who was climbing in his first Boulder semi-finals, did better and was 8th. He's quickly showing himself to be a talented all-rounder after his silver medal in the Edinburgh Lead World Cup last year. Erin McNeice (GBR) put in a brilliant performance to earn the right to climb in her first senior World Cup semi-finals and came 17th. 

It was a pleasure to be joined by Alannah Yip, one of the most professional and straight-up talented athletes I work with. The rain didn't let up during the finals, coming in waves as the storm circled around the mountain behind the stadium. 

There were so many memorable moments from this event. To keep things concise, let's stick with the podium finishers, but please go and watch the broadcast if you can, since there was too much going on to be properly written about here.

Mejdi Schalck (FRA) has clearly been doing something magical in the off-season. Last year he was an inconsistent contender…but he really does look like a different climber in 2023. He's bigger, stronger, and more focused than ever. Coming out last he flashed the slab, a problem that required pin-point perfect accuracy and balance. It was only climbed by three athletes, with Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) taking three attempts to get it done. Mejdi's flash showed true mental strength as well as physical ability.

He came finger-tip close to the pocket-pulling Boulder 3, using invisible slopers and just missing the long stretch to the final hold. 2022 Mejdi might have let that affect him, but the new athlete put it behind him and flashed the complicated, and dynamic Boulder 3. As he landed he caught the eye of his coaches and their celebrations made him realise that he had done enough to secure his second gold of the season, making it two golds in a row — a rare feat in the men's event, last achieved by Adam Ondra in 2021. Honestly, Mejdi looks unbeatable in Boulder right now. 

Eventually Mejdi was far ahead of his closest rival Tomoa Narasaki (JPN), who quietly got on with winning silver. Tomoa is a true veteran of the sport and it's sometimes hard to believe he's just 26 years old. Having won the combined competition in Morioka last year, you would be mad to bet against him getting a medal in Paris 2024. It seems like his biggest battle will simply be being selected for the Japanese team, but quick sends of Boulders 1 and 3 and a Zone on Boulder 2 will help make his case to the selectors. At this point I should say that Boulder 4 was simply too hard on the night. It required a huge jump to a paddle style coordination dyno and no athlete could get the Zone…let alone Top.

I try not to have favourites on the circuit…but I do, and one of them is Jongwon Chong (KOR). I had spent the day with him on Thursday, filming at his house and spending time in his world. He had set me up with one of his tattoo artists, so it feels like I'm carrying a part of his personality around with me. 

He was simply showing off to his home crowd with a flash of Boulder 2, a climb that only he sent. When he finds a boulder in his style he tends to switch gears. He performed an instinctual, mid-air foot swap at the start, then held onto barely-there slopers to break the beta through the shallow pocket section. Celebrating with a one arm pull up at the top, he then repeated the flashing feat, sending that uber complicated Boulder 3. His contact pinch strength was ridiculous, and this time he rotated through the one arm celebration to face the crowd. He almost got silver, but will be content with bronze, and happy to represent his country on home turf.

The women's competition was as close as the men's, with a difficult set of boulders meaning few tops and therefore Zones being all the more important. Natalia Grossman (USA) had taken a nasty fall in qualifiers, receiving a whiplash injury. Although no major damage was sustained she was clearly struggling, and every fall she took in the finals was met with a grimace from her…and me in the commentary box. She battled hard, but was clearly struggling and we wish her a speedy recovery for Salt Lake City.

After failing to make semi-finals in Japan a week earlier, Miho Nonaka (JPN) used her experience and mental strength to put it behind her and climbed her way to gold in Korea. She displayed all of her power endurance on Boulder 2, making her way through increasingly difficult holds which seemed to have less friction as the athlete went higher. Although she couldn't finish the climb, the Zone was enough to push her through into the top spot after a gutsy performance on Boulder 3, the coordination-style moves needing 11 attempts to be sent. Her hair is dyed a gold colour this year…somewhat fitting. I hadn't realised that it was her first Boulder gold in 5 years, and she was emotional on the podium, and during the after competition interviews.

I was chatting to Oriane Bertone's (FRA) coach on the transfer bus back to the hotel after qualifying, who said he was impressed by her…but she still needed to do more. Well, a silver in Korea is certainly more. The highlight was breaking the beta on Boulder 4. She skipped the Zone section, pinching a narrow volume and reaching through to the final hold. I've always enjoyed watching her climb, her attitude providing a breath of fresh air. Yes, she sometimes looses focus, but as a commentator I like it when athletes display emotion. You always know what she's thinking and feeling, for better or worse, and it's exciting to witness. That final top, combined with a quick send of the rarely-topped first slab, jumped her up into silver. Oriane still needs to find consistency, but when she does…look out, world.

Last week's winner Brooke Raboutou (USA) added a bronze to her Gold from last weekend. She found a different way through Boulder 2, using her superpower of high heel hooks to commit to a scary sequence at the top of the climb. She kept the heel in all the way until the final match — serious dedication from the American athlete. She sent the first slab in 8 tries, and could have got higher up the podium if she had found solutions to the final two climbs. Unfortunately she couldn't get Zones in either of them, otherwise a different colour medal might have been hers.

As the rain fell the organisers and staff started to dismantle the stadium, and we said goodbye to Korea for now, The Youth World Champs will return in August, but the senior circuit looks ahead to the USA rounds. I'll be jumping on a plane and travelling to Jakarta for the second Speed World Cup. Hopefully you can join me there, where the temperature - and pace - heats up.