Tomoa Narasaki is a legendary sport climber whose achievements only continue to grow. With three world and Boulder World Cup season championships under his belt, the Japanese veteran’s dominance was on full display at the sixth IFSC World Cup in Boulder. Narasaki won the event by breaching all four routes and flashing three of them, a feat accomplished on his first attempt.
At the Tokyo 2020 Games, Narasaki finished fourth, but he led his Japanese team to a 1-2 finish in Salt Lake City. Sixteen-year-old Sorato Anraku also topped all four boulders to finish second, while Team GB’s Toby Roberts won the bronze medal. Anraku and Roberts previously went 1-2 in lead climbing at last year’s Youth World Championships in Dallas. For Roberts, who has been on the podium since last season, it was his first World Cup podium finish.
Speaking through an interpreter on the IFSC livestream, Narasaki expressed his happiness about winning in Salt Lake City. The men’s speed climbing final is scheduled for Sunday night at 2000 local time (US mountain time). The previous day, American Natalia Grossmann and world record holder Alexandra Miroslaw of Poland won the women’s boulder and speed events respectively.