IFSC Boulder World Cup: Hachioji - Report
The fifth round of the 2018 IFSC Boulder World Cup series took place in Hachioji, Japan last weekend. In what was perhaps the most exciting round so far, technical routesetting, a large crowd and innovative projected graphics on the wall showed that Tokyo is ready for the 2020 Olympic Games. Michaela Tracy and Shauna Coxsey narrowly missed out on finals, finishing in 8th and 9th respectively, and Billy Ridal made semi-finals and achieved his best placing yet - 14th.
IFSC Climbing Worldcup (B) - Hachioji (JPN) 2018
The Japanese team entered a total of 21 climbers into their home round, 11 of whom made the top 20. Akiyo Noguchi continued her top form by flashing every problem in the semis and flashing problem 4 in the final to take the win. Problem 3 was the only problem in the entire competition that Noguchi didn't top. Miho Nonaka (JPN) took 2nd place and Ekaterina Kipriianova (RUS) won her first IFSC Boulder World Cup medal.
Italy's Gabriele Moroni is somewhat of a veteran of the IFSC circuit, having started competing in 2004. After 14 years, he finally won his first IFSC Boulder World Cup in Hachioji - and convincingly so. In order to beat Tomoa Narasaki (JPN), he needed to reach the zone. Not only did he manage this, but he continued to fight his way up the boulder to match the finishing hold on his flash attempt. 'I've been waiting for this moment my whole career!' he told the IFSC. Rei Sugimoto (JPN) finished 3rd in front of a home crowd.