Grossman makes it 10 Boulder World Cup Golds
- Tuesday 7th May 2024
Climbing on home turf in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, US climber Natalia Grossman flashed three out of four boulders in the Boulder final.
The comp was the third event of the IFSC World Cup Series 2024 and was held at the USA Climbing Training Center. Following a double gold by Emma Hunt and Samuel Watson in the Speed event, Team USA secured their third win of the event with Natalia Grossman, who finished the round with three tops and four zones, placed ahead of the French duo Oriane Bertone and Naïlé Maignan.
Despite finishing with the same score as Bertone, Grossman maintained the top position one flash after the other, topping the first three boulders in her first attempt and distancing herself from the other finalists.
This win made it a fantastic 10 World Cup medals in the Boulder discipline for Grossman, six of which have been won in Salt Lake City. She also overcame an injury to her right knee that was strapped up for the final and was clearly giving her problems, so much so she was even unsure whether she could compete in the final.
Commenting afterwards on the IFSC website Grossman said, “I’m extremely proud. That second climb in the final, I’ve been working on coordination so much this past few months, and to have it pay off in the semi-final and in the final… I was psyched. I always love the World Cup in Salt Lake City. The crowd hyped us up. I appreciate it a lot. It is very special to have my family here, being able to sleep in my own bed, eat my own food, it’s really nice.”
Bertone, on the other hand, failed to solve W3, but secured second place with a top on the fourth and final problem. The 19-year-old French woman, who has already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, did not compete in the first two World Cup events (Keqiao and Wujiang) and podiumed for the seventh time out of nine World Cup final participation.
The bronze medal was awarded to Bertone’s teammate Naïlé Maignan, competing in a World Cup event for the first time since May 2019. Maignan joined Grossman and Bertone on the podium with the identical score of three tops and four boulders, placing behind her teammate because of a higher number of attempts to zone.
The next round of the IFSC World Cup events is at the end of June (25th to 30th) with the Boulder and Lead competitions in Innsbruck, Austria.
Final Results
1. Natalia Grossman (USA) – 3 tops 4 zones 3 10
2. Oriane Bertone (FRA) – 3t 4z 6 6
3. Naïlé Meignan (FRA) – 3t 4z 6 13
4. Oceania Mackenzie (AUS) – 2t 4z 2 7
5. Brooke Raboutou (USA) – 2t 3z 2 7
6. Mao Nakamura (JPN) – 2t 3z 4 5
You can find out more at the IFSC website here.