KEQIAO, China, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Sorato Anraku defended his men's boulder title at the season-opening World Climbing Series event in Keqiao, Zhejiang province on Sunday.
The 19-year-old reigning world boulder champion topped a stacked field that included lead world champion Lee Do-hyun of South Korea, boulder world silver medallist Mejdi Schalck of France, and former World Cup winners Pan Yufei of China and Tomoa Narasaki of Japan.
Schalck led after the first three boulders, with Anraku and Narasaki close behind, but the final problem proved decisive. Six of the eight finalists, including Schalck and Narasaki, failed to score on the last boulder.
Lee, seemingly out of medal contention earlier in the round, vaulted into the lead by topping it in two attempts, piling pressure on Anraku.
With the title on the line, Anraku faltered on his first attempt but held his nerve to nail the win on his second attempt, drawing loud cheers from the crowd and sealing gold.
"Winning at a World Series is never easy. Every competition comes down to very fine margins," Anraku said, describing the season opener as mentally demanding. He also credited his rivals for pushing his performance.
"Climbers like Mejdi and Lee Dohyun, as well as all the other finalists, really push me. Because of them, I'm able to perform at a higher level. I'm truly grateful to all of them," he said.
The win marked Anraku's sixth career boulder title and his second consecutive season-opening victory in Keqiao, where he has now reached the podium three times.
Lee took silver, with Schalck claiming bronze.
Host nation China placed two climbers in a men's boulder final for the first time, with Pan finishing fifth and 19-year-old Bai Xuanpu sixth in just his second World Climbing Series appearance.
Pan revealed he had injured his right middle finger in the semi-finals and had also struggled with recurring illness since April's Asian Championships, but said the result exceeded expectations.
Bai admitted the atmosphere in the final left him visibly nervous, but he still managed to top the opening boulder after an unusual adjustment.
"I fell on my first beta and even lost my glasses in the process," he said. "So I changed my beta, and that's when I topped it."
Bai, who failed to progress beyond qualification in Keqiao last year and had not competed in a World Cup since, attributed his rapid improvement over the past year to greater focus.
"Maybe I just played fewer video games and trained more seriously," he said. ■
