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Two new faces topped the podium as the Climbing World Cup returned for the penultimate lead climbing round in Madrid, Spain, over the weekend. Women's competition winner Annie Sanders secured an astonishing victory at just 17 years old, while South Korea's Dohyun Lee won his first lead competition in style.
Read on for our roundup of all the action from a brilliant climbing competition.
Not sure how it works? Jump to the bottom of this article for a handy IFSC World Cup explainer.
Men's lead competition
The 2025 men's lead climbing competition has been a tense affair, with several climbers in contention for the coveted series victory. The penultimate round was no different, as South Korea's Dohyun Lee snatched gold in a tight final bout with Alberto Gines Lopez of Spain.
Following a hard-fought qualification round, the pair were neck and neck throughout the final, but Lee's score of 40+ just edged out his opponent, who finished marginally behind him with 40 points.
Gold in Madrid represents Lee's first-ever World Cup lead climbing victory. The 22-year-old has been threatening to win a round for some time, with some consistent performances in qualification and an impressive second-place finish in the final lead event of 2024.
After his victory, an ecstatic Lee told the IFSC: "This feels unreal, I can't believe it.
"When I finished my climb, I didn't think it was worth a gold medal. I would have expected fourth or fifth."
Last weekend's competition propelled both Lee and Lopez up the lead climbing table and put them in contention for the series victory, although Japanese prodigy Sorato Anraku remains the favorite.
Although he finished in fifth in Madrid, Anraku, 18, is the only climber to have won two lead competitions this season. He already won the bouldering series earlier in the season and will be eager to wrap up the lead title when the competition returns in September.
Women's lead competition
American teenager Annie Sanders stole the spotlight in the women's competition with a commanding first lead climbing victory. The 17-year-old climbed with skill and composure well beyond her years in the qualifying round before she secured gold with a dominant display in the final.
Sanders was within touching distance of her first lead gold in the previous round, but slipped at the crucial moment and had to settle for second. There would be no such errors in Madrid, as she dominated the final route ahead of Italy's Laura Rogora, who won silver.
Over the moon after her victory, Sanders told the IFSC, "I'm honestly still in shock right now.
"I didn't know what to expect at the beginning of the season, but after the first Lead World Cup in China, I knew I was capable of doing this, and I'm glad it finally happened".
Sanders marked herself as one to watch at the first lead climbing event of the season with a bronze medal in Wujiang, China. Victory over the weekend cements her place as one of sport climbing's brightest young talents.
The women's lead climbing table is currently led by South Korea's Chaehyun Seo and Erin McNeice of Great Britain. They've each won two gold medals and been in and around the podium during the other events.
Both climbers had the chance to secure the series victory in Madrid, but neither managed to make the podium. Sanders' unlikely win means that the competition will be decided at the final round, in Koper, Slovenia, in September.
What is the IFSC World Cup?
The IFSC World Cup is a year-long climbing competition that pits the world's best climbers head-to-head in lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering competitions.
It takes place across 14 different World Cup stages, held across the globe and throughout the year.
Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on separate leaderboards for each discipline. These rankings decide the eventual world champions.
What's next?
The world's best sport climbers will now take a month-long break before they return to the wall for the decisive lead climbing event in Koper, Slovenia. The final round will decide the series winners for the 2025 competition and begins on September 5.
Stick with Advnture for our preview of the event and a roundup of all the action from Koper.
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