D4: The men boulder final… problem after problem
A breathtaking final! The 2016 World Champion Tomoa Narasaki got the title at the very end of the competition. Let’s have a look back at this circuit high in intensity.
Problem #1: the keyword was coordination! A two-step dyno required a real ability on the volumes. The one who is the best at this game is Tomoa Narasaki. Three attempts to pass the move, like for Adam Ondra who did it in a static mode. The Japanese Tsukuru Hori and the French Manu Cornu succeed in the problem with 6 and 7 attempts respectively.
Problem#2: A complete different style! On this slab, everything is about precision. The Japanese are the first to try it out and don’t succeed to figure out the right method after the bonus hold. Then, it’s time for the French men to take the stage. All three find out how to reach the top but only Manu Cornu does it, in 2 attempts. For Mickaël Mawem, no hesitation, one attempt, done. The French is back in the race. Jérémy Bonder is less successful, as Adam Ondra.
Problem#3: you could feel the atmosphere. But before using their muscles, the mind has to find the solution…This time it works well for Tomoa Narasaki who succeeds with only two attempts. Hori fails. Manu Cornu gropes. As does Mickaël Mawem. Let’s not lie, it will not work for the first one. The latter is more successful and gets better from one attempt to the other. He almost succeeds with hands slipping on the final hold. Mickaël Mawem will not be World Champion. Jérémy Bonder is not better and doesn’t find the solutions tonight. It gets better for Adam Ondra though, 4 attempts for him and he is at the top.
Problem#4: Tomoa Narasaki becomes World Champion. Until the very end, it was not clear. But from his successful first attempt in this final problem, the Japanese set things straight: after having won the 2016 bouldering general ranking, he is World Champion too. But there is still a fight going on, the one for silver and for bronze: Adam Ondra vs. Manu Cornu. The master vs. the passionate.
Manu is first to try the problem. He wastes two attempts, but the 3rd brings him to the bonus hold. The French fight like a lion during his last attempt, “the biggest fight I have ever seen in competition”, says Rémi Samyn, the coach of the French bouldering team. But in vain. The Czech is now free to get the silver medal. And Adam Ondra will not let this opportunity slip through his fingers. His first attempt was close to being the one. Impressive in controlling everything, he falls a few centimeters from the top. His second attempt will be it: Adam Ondra – who did not participate in a single bouldering competition this season – is the 2016 vice World Champion.
Manu Cornu goes back home with the bronze medal! “You cannot be disappointed in this result. Our goal was a medal, and we have it. But we are not going to lie: with three French climbers in final, we ended up dreaming. We actually were not that far from it: Mickaël Mawem falls twice really close from the top. If he had grabbed the final holds for both problems, he would have been World Champion. His fourth place is still a great performance: two years ago, nobody knew him! For Jérémy Bonder, he is not to blame: this circuit was not made for him. He showed us what he was capable of during the last problem!”
3rd, 4th, and 5th. Three French climbers amongst the 5 best of the World Championships. The bouldering French team is one of the best in the world, that’s for sure!
