Japanese sport climbing prodigy Anraku Sorato claimed his second career boulder World Cup title on Saturday (4 May) at the IFSC World Cup Salt Lake City. The 17-year-old topped three of the four routes and made a zone on the fourth, securing his victory in front of an enthusiastic crowd. This marked his fifth World Cup win, with three others in lead climbing.
Anraku’s compatriot Narasaki Meichi took home the silver medal, while Austrian veteran Jakob Schubert won the bronze, marking his 11th bronze in boulder and 64th overall. Anraku had won silver in boulder in Salt Lake City a year ago and followed that up with his first World Cup boulder title in Innsbruck, Austria.
In an interview with commentator Alex Honnold via an interpreter, Anraku expressed his excitement and confidence after the win, calling it an important milestone in his training. He shared that figuring out the moves on the final boulder gave him the confidence to successfully top it, despite feeling nervous and stiff during the competition.
Later on Saturday evening, home climbers Emma Hunt and Sam Watson will compete in the women’s and men’s speed climbing events respectively. Watson, who set a new men’s world record last month with a time of 4.79 seconds, will be a strong contender in the event. The women’s boulder competition is scheduled to take place on Sunday (5 May), adding to the excitement of the World Cup event.
