Two Female Climbers Land Perfect Scores at IFSC World Cup Semifinals

The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup reached Salt Lake City, Utah. Marking the third Boulder World Cup of the season, athletes have been trying to keep the momentum high to take home gold.

Following remarkable performances during qualifications, Oriane Bertone of France scored a perfect 125.0, which placed her in first place. Not too far behind were Miho Nonaka, with 124.8 points, and Futaba Ito, with 124.7 points.

Considering the soaring numbers that were posted during qualifications, the semifinals were expected to see similar scores. However, the scoreboard saw some changes after Bertone, Nonaka and Ito had underwhelming performances.

Two Women Post Perfect Scores at Salt Lake City World Cup

Now taking the lead are Zélia Avezou of France, Mao Nakamura of Japan, and Annie Sanders of the U.S. Sanders took home her latest World Cup victory in Keqiao—she is hungry to defend her title. However, Avezou and Nakamura both earned perfect scores of 100.0 in the semifinals while Sanders fell behind at 99.7.

"I feel I am climbing well, but semi-final and final climbing are so different," Avezou told the IFSC. "I need to just continue to be confident in my climbing into the next round, and hopefully I can get a medal." Nakamura also spoke to the IFSC and is in high spirits after receiving her results.

"Getting 100pts is so cool, it's so exciting for me. But now it's the final and I really want to win a medal. I've been fourth three times; I want a medal this time."

Athletes are feeling elated, but the competition isn't over yet—the finals will bring about seemingly impossible challenges. Podium appearances are not guaranteed, so each climber will need to battle it out against their opponents in order to take center stage.
To watch the events live or on demand, visit the official IFSC YouTube Channel.