Shiraishi, Lightner Win 2017 Sport Climbing Nationals

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRjDL8-hKYe/

USA Climbing’s 2017 Sport Climbing Open National Championships came to an exciting conclusion Saturday at Movement Climbing + Fitness in Denver, Colorado. The event was decided by the final competitors of the evening: Kai Lightner and Ashima Shiraishi simultaneously flashed their routes to take the top spots on the podium.

The women’s division was a close competition. Shiraishi and Margo Hayes both topped the finals route, so the winner was determined by performance in semi-finals. Shiraishi claimed the championship by flashing every route from qualifiers to finals. Brooke Raboutou placed third. This was Raboutou and Shiraishi’s—both 15-years-old—first adult Sport Climbing Open Nationals. Hayes took first place in the 2016 event. Last month, Shiraishi and Raboutou placed second and third, respectively, in their first adult Bouldering National Championships.

Lightner was the only male to top the final route on Saturday night, earning him his second championship title in three years. And not only did he top the route, he made it look easy. Jesse Grupper and Drew Ruana joined him on the podium, placing second and third respectively.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRodPb7j_tp/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BRimIjGBeJ2/

Speed Climbing Open Nationals also took place at the event. Claire Buhrfeind won the women’s speed competition followed by Amanda Wooten, second, and Grace McKeehan, third. Claire also placed sixth in the women’s sport competition. John Brosler earned the men’s speed title. Libor Hroza, a foreign national from the Czech Republic, placed second, followed by Max Hammer in third.

Watch Shiraishi top the women’s sport finals route:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRiqnoTBNPY/

Watch the full, commentated replay of sport and speed finals.

Women’s Sport Results

1. Ashima Shiraishi
2. Margo Hayes
3. Brooke Raboutou
4. Kyra Condie
5. Michaela Kiresch
6. Claire Buhrfeind
7. Julia Talbot
8. Melina Costanza
9. Natalia Grossman
10. Meagan Martin
11. Juliet Hammer

Men’s Sport Results

1. Kai Lightner
2. Jesse Grupper
3. Drew Ruana
4. Noah Ridge
5. Shane Messer
6. Bobby Taft-Pittman
7. Josh Levin
8. Vasya Vorotnikov
9. Austin Geiman
10. Solomon Barth
11. Joey Catama

Women’s Speed Results

1. Claire Buhrfeind
2. Amanda Wooten
3. Grace McKeehan
4. Kyra Condie 
5. Lauren Bair
6. Piper Kelly
7. Bimini Horstmann
8. Brooke Raboutou
9. Marisa Romero

Men’s Speed Results

1. John Brosler
2. Libor Hroza
3. Max Hammer
4. Michael Finn-Henry
5. Gentry Cole
6. Luke Muehring
7. Noah Bratschi
8. Nicholas Romero
9. Merrit Ernsberger
10. Ryan Copeland
11. Luke Rodley

Complete results available at USA Climbing.