Over 70 athletes from more than 20 different countries were invited to adidas ROCKSTARS this year. They first had to make it through the qualification and semi-final. The top 6 men and women advanced to the great final on Saturday evening. They fight in two rounds for the entry to the superfinal. Here, the top 2 compete in direct comparison on a so-called “super boulder” that was specifically created for the event. The athletes climb simultaneously an identical route on two sides of the same boulder. In this thrilling duel the two superfinalists need both, excellent skills and good nerves. Although the climbers cannot see each other, the cheers of the crowd adumbrate what is happening on the other side.
In the end Jernej Kruder (SLO) was able to climb faster than their opponents in the 1-vs-1 duel on the last and critical boulder. Now he is allowed to officially call himself “adidas ROCKSTAR 2018”. Jongwon Chon (KOR) and Tomoaki Takata (JPN) can also be very satisfied with rank two and three respectively. The eighth edition of the bouldering event taking place in Stuttgart (GER) was not only a true highlight for the bouldering community on this weekend, but also for the climbing newbies.
Results Men TOP6
1 - Jernej Kruder (SLO)
2 - Jongwon Chon (KOR)
3 - Tomoaki Takata (JPN)
4 - Keita Watabe (JPN)
5 - Kokoro Fujii (JPN)
6 - Sergii Topishko (UKR)
