Alexes Finish in Top 10 in Barcelona

6/27/11 - American women Alex Puccio and Alex Johnson made a strong showing at the Bouldering World Cup in Barcelona last weekend. Puccio finished second overall—her third silver medal so far in 2011—and Johnson placed seventh, which makes her third seventh-place finish. Both women have consistently finished in the top 10.

Akiyo Noguchi of Japan won the women's gold, with France's Guillaume Glairon-Mondet taking first for the men. Noguchi was the only woman to send all four problems, with Puccio finishing two. French climber Melissa Le Neve also topped two boulders in the finals right behind Puccio, grabbing the bronze.

Glairon-Mondet secured the gold by flashing the fourth problem. Russians Rustam Gelmanov and Dmitry Sharafutdinov nabbed second and third place, respectively. Daniel Woods, who placed second at Eindhoven last week, finished 13th.

Austrians Anna Stöhr and Kilian Fischhuber finished in the top six and still lead the rankings. Noguchi and Puccio are second and third; Johnson is ranked seventh. Sharafutdinov and Glairon-Mondet are second and third. Next week, the World Cup takes place in Sheffield, England, and the last 2011 BWC will be in Munich, Germany, in August. If Puccio places in the top three at both comps, she will very likely medal overall.

Women's Final Results:

1. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN)
2. Alex Puccio (USA)
3. Melissa Le Neve (FRA)
4. Mina Markovic (SLO)
5. Juliane Wurm (GER)
6. Anna Stöhr (AUT)

Other U.S. finishes: Alex Johnson (7th), Courtney Sanders (25th)

Men's Final Results:

1. Guillaume Glairon-Mondet (FRA)
2. Rustam Gelmanov (RUS)
3. Dmitry Sharfutdinov (RUS)
4. Alexey Rubtsov (RUS)
5. Kilian Fischhuber (AUT)
6. Lukas Ennemoser (AUT)

Other U.S. finishes: Daniel Woods (13th), Ian Dory (37th), Matty Hong (55th)