In the middle of it all, instead of just being there, is the Slovenian Olympic Champion Janja Garnbret. The “Queen of Innsbruck” struck again in the bouldering competition and celebrated her next World Cup victory, including numerous emotions.
“I love climbing in Innsbruck. The spectators share our passion for the sport and support all the athletes from start to finish – that’s fantastic. So it was clear to me that I would use Innsbruck as my personal Olympic rehearsal,” says Garnbret and adds: “The boulders in the final were not the hardest. I didn't want to make any mistakes, but a few minor things did happen to me. There are always things I can improve. There’s still a bit of time until the Olympic Games, and I’ll make good use of it.”
But anyone who thinks that the victories no longer have any value for the series winner and that it is almost part of everyday business is wrong. After the fourth boulder, which the 25-year-old was the only athlete to top, she appeared emotional. “Emotions always come up after my victories. It often looks easy and playful, but it is not a given. I love my sport and I want to convey this joy. If you don't love it, you can't perform well or win. At the end of the day, it’s a nice cycle.”
Her 17-year-old teammate Jennifer Buckley, who was taking part in a bouldering World Cup for the first time, kept the fight for the day's victory open until the last boulder, but had to admit defeat in the end. The joy of second place was still undiminished: “Innsbruck is great. There are always so many people coming, it's just so much fun. The medal is of course great and gives a boost for the next few weeks. I want to continually improve as a climber and get better with a lot of training and competitions. That’s my primary goal now.”
The American Anastasia Sanders kept the race for second place open until the end. In the end, nuances decided against the 16-year-old. “I worked well. When I see my performance, it makes me really happy. It was a great finale, it was incredibly exciting and it was really fun. I'm pleased that I was able to take this experience with me. Now we’ll continue training diligently and then we’ll see where the path leads.”
Both Buckley's silver and Sanders' bronze are the first World Cup medals won by the two young climbers.
