7/19/12 – Sachi Amma and Mina Markovic won the first lead climbing World Cup of the year in Chamonix, France, on July 13.

Amma climbed two holds higher than second-place finisher Ramón Julián Puigblanque, who beat Sean McColl only by one hold.

Markovic reached the same highpoint as silver medalist Jain Kim, but Markovic topped out in both qualifications and semi-finals, securing her first place; Kim did not finish the semi-finals route. Momoka Oda followed in third, reaching one hold lower than Markovic and Kim.

America’s own Sasha DiGiulian did not reach the podium but finished well in sixth place; the only other Americans to compete were Vasya Vorotnikov (31st), Jacquelyn Wu (46th), and Josh Larson (51st).

Last year’s Lead World Cup champion, Jakob Schubert, accidentally touched a bolt during semi-finals, which pushed him down to 11th place.

As usual, Russia and Ukraine dominated the speed climbing podiums. Stanislav Kokorin, Danylo Boldyrev, and Yaroslav Gontaryk finished in the top three in the men’s competition, with Aleksandra Rudzinska, Alina Gaydamakina, and Natalia Titova rounding out the women’s podium. Wu and McColl also participated in the speed comp, placing 21st and 26th, respectively.

Women’s final results:

1. Mina Markoviv (Slovenia)
2. Jain Kim (Korea)
3. Momoka Oda (Japan)
4. Hélène Janicot (France)
5. Magdalena Röck (Austria)
6. Sasha DiGiulian (USA)

Men’s final results:

1. Sachi Amma (Japan)
2. Ramón Julián Puigblanque (Spain)
3. Sean McColl (Canada)
4. Mikhail Chernikov (Russia)
5. Magnus Midtboe (Norway)
6. Thomas Ballet (France)

See full results here.

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