Lee tops scoreboard as Gines delivers under pressure
Lee was one of just three men to reach the highest section of the wall on a difficult course that saw most climbers fall off at the mid-way mark. Climbing without hesitation, the 2023 bronze world medallist in Boulder gave a thumbs up after collecting 88.1 points in Lead, and jumping to first place on the scoreboard.
Tokyo 2020 champion Gines was also visibly relieved after his second-place finish, pumping his fist on the way down and giving the packed stands a big smile. Ranked No.18 in the world as of early May 2024, Gines had the tough task of climbing last but delivered under pressure to take 84.1 points, the second highest score in Lead after Lee.
Gines’ score matched the numbers Sascha Lehmann posted earlier in the competition. The Swiss climber had an underwhelming Boulder performance, but managed to make up for it on his Lead climb and finished fourth overall in the semifinal.
“I knew Lead climbing is my discipline. That’s where I want to make the points. I am really happy how it turned out, it was such a good run,” Lehmann said. “I am a good Lead climber and just tried to keep believing in my lead strengths and put this on the wall.”
A decisive and fast climb from Belgium’s Hannes Van Duysen earned him a third-place finish and a spot in Sunday’s final at Huangpu Riverside OQS Urban Park.
One of the sport’s biggest stars, Adam Ondra, also looked confident on his climb, but perhaps too much so as the Czech athlete forgot the clip after reaching the midway hold in his haste to get to the top. The five-time -world champion then made several attempts to climb down to re-clip his rope but lost his hold and fell off. His combined score of 110.9 was still enough for him to advance to the final in fifth place.
