Ben Moon reports on his blog that Dai Koyamada of Kagoshima, Japan has just repeated Action Directe, hot on the coat tails of Richard Simpson's recent ascent last week.

Koyamada, along with Yuji Hirayama, is one of Japan's top boulderers and sport climbers, with first ascents that include the route Logical Progression 9a in Joyama, Japan, and the sixty-move link-up Wheel of Life V16 (Font 8c+) at Hollow Mountain Cave, in the Australian Grampians.

Ben Moon was virtually there as Koyamada made his successful ascent, via Richard Simpson's mobile phone with Simpson giving Ben a running commentary complete with Koyamada's whoops of joy as he latched the final low probability move. You can read the full transcript including Simpson's reflections on Action Directe at the Moon blog.

Action Directe is perhaps the most repeated 9a along with Fred Nicole's Bain de Sang (also seven repeats). We aren't sure who has climbed the most 9a's but the Basque woman Josune Bereziartu has repeated three, Bain de Sang, Logical Progression and Bimbaluna (9a/a+).