With Jessica Pilz sidelined due to injury, Franziska Sterrer also out injured, and Johanna Färber having retired, Lea Kempf was the top Austrian athlete, finishing 41st overall. The 20-year-old from Vorarlberg earned four zone points across the five qualifying boulders, totaling 39.7 points.
“At the moment, I’m feeling a bit frustrated because I think I could have done better. I made some mistakes, especially in finding the right solutions,” Kempf reflected. “I want to take more time to consider alternative moves — especially to decide quicker on slabs and then climb with more confidence. That will definitely help me in upcoming competitions.” Kempf has recently been battling injury issues. “My shoulder is feeling much better now, and in training, I can do almost all the moves pain-free again.”
Among the other Austrian women, Lena Schrittwieser placed 50th out of 79 starters with 29.6 points, Sandra Lettner came 54th with 29.4 points, Katharina Bergmann ranked 62nd with 19.7 points, Ariane Franken 68th with 19.4 points, and Sina Willy 69th with 19.4 points.
Garnbret Returns
Heading into the World Championships with a strong field and high expectations, Annie Sanders from the USA and Mao Nakamura from Japan led the qualification rankings, while Janja Garnbret from Slovenia made her long-awaited return to international competition.
The women’s boulder qualification round ended with Sanders and Nakamura sharing first place after both climbers topped all five boulders in their respective groups. Sanders scored 124.7 points and flashed three problems in Group A, while Nakamura narrowly edged her out with 124.8 points and four flashes in Group B.
Janja Garnbret competed for the first time on the World Cup circuit since Koper 2024. Climbing in Group A, she finished fifth overall with 109.6 points. Although she missed the top hold on the first boulder, she bounced back strongly to secure a spot in the semifinals.
“It feels great to be back,” Garnbret said. “Honestly, I wasn’t as nervous as I expected, but you can’t help it... Coming back for the last Boulder World Cup after nine months isn’t easy, and I did feel a bit rusty on the first boulder. But after the second one, I felt like the usual Janja again. It’s nice to break the ice, and now I’m looking forward to the real competition on Friday.”
Joking about a rare mid-attempt shoe change, she added: “I’m not proud that I changed my shoes between attempts, because I firmly believe you shouldn’t do that, but I did it and I’m a little bit ashamed!”
“My skin felt very strange, and I was slipping a bit, which never happened before. Overall, I felt good and ready, and everything is where it should be.”
The winners of the last two IFSC Boulder World Cups also secured semifinal spots: Erin McNeice from Great Britain, winner in Bern, Switzerland, finished third overall, while Oriane Bertone from France, gold medalist in Prague, Czechia, placed seventh.
