GOLD GOES TO GREAT BRITAIN
Roberts showed steady progression throughout the round, starting with two zones in the opening problems of the round, and finishing strong with consecutive flashes on M3 and M4 to clinch the win. “I’m at a loss for words, I don’t really know what just happened,” said Roberts after the event. “This season has been quite hard, but going into this event I wanted to give everything, and to be honest I’m a little bit starstruck. I’m just so happy.”
He added: “I definitely struggled a bit post-Olympics, and when I started the season it hit me and I started to feel quite bad. I just wanted to go out there and climb the way I know I can. This competition has been incredible, I enjoyed every moment and to get away with a gold medal doesn’t even feel real.”
Winning in Innsbruck has a special meaning: “Innsbruck feels like home to me. The crowd was amazing once again, standing in the rain and cheering us on. This means a lot.”
ANRAKU CLOSE BEHIND, BRONZE DECIDED BY A TENTH
Anraku Sorato of Japan placed second with 69.6 points and tops on M2 and M3. As the last climber out, he needed a top on M4 to claim gold but fell short after flashing the zone, settling for silver by a margin of 0.2 points.
Just as close was the race for bronze: Hannes Van Duysen of Belgium earned his first World Cup medal of the season with 54.6 points thanks to a top on M3 and three zone flashes. Maximillian Milne of Great Britain narrowly missed the podium with 54.5 points, just 0.1 behind his Belgian rival.
TIGHT FINISH FOR FINALISTS
Lee Dohyun of South Korea, who placed second in the semi-final, took fifth with 44.9 points—his flash on M2 initially placing him in medal contention. However, he was unable to secure another top. Mejdi Schalck of France followed in sixth with 44.3, Amagasa Sohta of Japan finished seventh with 39.9, and Austria’s Nicolai Uznik placed eighth with 19.3.
NEXT UP
The Boulder World Cup season will conclude tomorrow with the women's semi-final and final, respectively scheduled at 13:00 and 19:30 CET.
Toby Roberts will return to action in Lead later this week in Innsbruck: “I’m pretty happy with the rest day, my skin is pretty thin, but I’m on an absolute high right now and I’m going to ride that through, it’s what I needed to gain a little bit of confidence.”
