Gripped Magazine
American Annie Sanders in First at World Cup Bern
The battle for the IFSC Climbing World Cup Bern 2026 began with two great Boulder qualification rounds mixed with established contenders and breakthrough performances setting up the semi-finals this weekend.
In the women’s competition, USA’s Annie Sanders, Great Britain’s Erin McNeice and China’s Yuetong Zhang emerged level at the top after qualification, with Sanders posting the highest overall score of 124.9 points across the two groups.
For Zhang, the result marked one of the strongest qualification rounds of her career. “I’m happy, I think it’s the first time I’ve topped five boulders in qualification,” she said. “I don’t really care where I am in the standings, just that I could finish all the boulders.”
Zhang dropped points only on the opening problem, needing three attempts before flashing the remaining four climbs. McNeice matched her 124.8-point score despite using extra attempts on two boulders, while Sanders’ near-perfect round secured the outright best mark of the day.
The women’s top 10 featured familiar names, with Japan and France again well represented through climbers including Mao Nakamura and Oriane Bertone. USA Olympian Brooke Raboutou also advanced comfortably.
Home support helped Switzerland’s Sofya Yokoyama deliver one of the standout performances of the round. Climbing early in the field of 75 athletes, Yokoyama eventually secured 17th place with 124.3 points to become the only Swiss woman to reach the semi-finals.
“It was a really good round for me,” Yokoyama said. “I don’t think I have climbed this well in so long. I had so much fun, I knew what I had to do, I felt I had focus, and the crowd and being at home gave me so much more motivation.”
Several nations will have a single representative in the women’s semi-final, including Australia’s Oce Mackenzie, Italy’s Camilla Moroni and South Korea’s Gayeong Oh. Spain’s Geila Macià Martín claimed the final qualifying place in a tie for 23rd.
In the men’s event, France’s Mejdi Schalck and Japan’s Rei Kawamata shared first after both topped four boulders and secured a zone on the fifth. Kawamata’s return drew attention after several seasons away from the top level. The Japanese climber last stood on a World Cup podium in 2022 but looked immediately competitive again in Bern.
Japan’s depth was again evident with Sorato Anraku and Sohta Amagasa also advancing, while South Korea’s Dohyun Lee remained among the leading contenders. Two newer names also broke into the top group, with Czech climber Lukas Mokrolusky finishing third and Bulgaria’s Slav Kirov seventh. Mokrolusky, 18, is competing in only his third senior World Cup event.
USA climber Colin Duffy returned to international competition for the first time this season and qualified in fifth alongside Anraku. “I feel great,” Duffy said. “I was sad to miss China but I’m happy to be back here in Bern. I had final exams for school, and I just couldn’t make the trip.” Duffy described the round as “pretty difficult,” adding: “There was no easy boulder in the round. They were all quite demanding.”
Germany’s Thorben Perry Bloem advanced in 17th and said consistency remains the next step in his progression after narrowly missing stronger results. “I feel the semi-final style suits me more than qualification,” Bloem said. “I hope for the best on Sunday and hopefully make the final. But for now, everything is a bonus.”
Among the biggest surprises of the day, defending Bern champion Yufei Pan failed to qualify for the semi-finals after finishing 25th, missing the cut by two places.
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