The DAV team celebrated a great success at the IFSC Bouldering World Cup in Brixen: Yannick Flohé won gold and is only the third German to ever stand on the top of a World Cup podium. Hannah Meul secured silver in a nerve-wracking duel against Natalia Grossman from the USA.
on the fifth IFSC World Cup of the year in Italian Brixens the German climbing team showed a strong performance: In front of the filled spectator stands of the climbing center, verticale got the best Yannick Flohe victory for the men. Worried about the women Hannah Meul for the first World Cup medal for Climbing Team Germany in seven years. She missed gold by a hair's breadth: Only a zone attempt separated her at the end of Natalia Grossman.
No getting past flea
Yannick Flohé showed a strong performance from the start in Brixen. He won the qualifying round and advanced to the semi-finals with a lot of confidence. And in the final, none of the five competitors got past the combined world champion from Germany. Yannick Flohé was crowned the bouldering king of Brixen with 2 tops and 4 zones. The 21-year-old Scotsman Maximillian Milne had to settle for second place. The Japanese completed the podium Tomoa Narasaki.
Flohé had some difficulties with the second boulder. The Englishman Maximillian Milne, on the other hand, made it to the top right there – to loud cheers from the audience. There was a standing ovation on the third boulder when Flohé reached the top. He was the only one in the field who succeeded. "The final went really well," said a visibly pleased Flohé. “Creating the first top gave me a lot of energy. I had some trouble with the second. Then I surprised myself when I managed the third boulder, which I actually didn't like at all. On the other hand, I was confident again on the last of the four boulder routes that had to be conquered".
«I think I've been working towards this moment since I've been climbing, but I never thought that I would eventually make it to number one on the World Cup podium. Last year was pretty good for me too, but my head didn't work that well, but this year has gone very well so far and I'm super happy that it worked out today.»
Yannick Flea
Scotland's Maximilian Milne brought home two tops and three zones to take silver. The Japanese Tomoa Narasaki finished the competition in Brixen today in 3rd place. He fought with heart and soul until the end to reach the tops. "It was really difficult today. The boulders were hard and I was still very tired from the semifinals. That's why I didn't make it to the top, but I'm still happy," says Narasaki.
The 19-year-old Korean Dohyun Lee slipped to fourth place; he reached the first final of his career in Brixen. The overall World Cup leader Yoshiyuki Ogata had to settle for fifth place while Meichi Narasaki finished sixth in the final.
IFSC Boulder World Cup Brixen – results men
| Rank | Name | Country |
| 1 | Yannick Flohe | GER |
| 2 | Maximilian Milne | GBR |
| 3 | Tomoa Narasaki | JPN |
| 4 | Dohyun Lee | KOR |
| 5 | Yoshiyuki Ogata | JPN |
| 6 | Meichi Narasaki | JPN |
Decision on the last boulder
In the women's final, it remained exciting until the shot. Natalia Grossman and Hannah Meul fought a thrilling duel, which the American won on the last boulder. Natalia Grossman won her fourth World Cup gold in a row. "It's crazy. I knew it could be possible but it was a really close fight to the end. I think the third boulder was the hardest, but I was hoping they would be even harder," Grossman said.
Hannah Meul won the first women's World Cup medal in seven years for Climbing Team Germany. It was Meul's first ever entry into a final - and she just missed out on gold by a hair's breadth: Only a zone attempt separated her from Grossman in the end. That's why the silver medal in Brixen almost shone like gold for the Deutsch: "It's a dream that has come true. I really can't put into words how happy I am. I gave it my all, I really enjoyed climbing these routes, they were fantastic."
“It was an incredible day. I can't even put into words how overwhelmed, happy and full of radiance I am right now. I just enjoyed it. I felt all day what I can that I belong exactly where I want to go and then made my dream come true. I am incredibly glad, happy and overwhelmed.”
Hannah Meul
The 16-year-old Chinese took third place Zhilu Luo a – on her World Cup debut. “I felt good in qualifying and in the semifinals. In the final I was tired, my arms were weak, my energy was gone. The boulders weren't that easy, I had to think a lot about all of them, especially the third one," says Luo.
IFSC Bouldering World Cup Brixen – results women
| Rank | Name | Country |
| 1 | Natalia Grossman | USA |
| 2 | Hannah Meul | GER |
| 3 | Zhilu Luo | CHN |
| 4 | Miho Nonaka | JPN |
| 5 | Anon Matsufuji | JPN |
| 6 | Serika Okawachi | JPN |
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Credits: Cover Photo Lena Drapella/IFSC