Japan's Sorato Anraku is eying a third successive victory as an even women's competition continues in the latest round of the IFSC Climbing World Cup.
We're only a month into the 2025/26 Climbing World Cup season, and there's already been plenty to talk about, with several close finishes and an unheard-of tie in the women's competition.
The men's events have been dominated by 18-year-old Anraku, who's won three gold medals already this season. He'll fancy his chances for a fourth in the upcoming bouldering round, held from May 23 to 25 in Salt Lake City, USA.
Read on for our preview of the fifth round of this season's Climbing World Cup, which includes the schedule, information on how to watch the competition, and who to look out for on the wall.
Ones to watch
The latest round of the IFSC Climbing World Cup was almost marred by a noticeable absence, as accomplished boulderer Dohyun Lee and the entire South Korean climbing staff were initially denied entry into the United States.
Lee revealed via Instagram that his ESTA documents, which authorized his travel to the States, had been cancelled without warning, only to update fans a few hours later that he would be climbing, thanks to an emergency visa interview.
"This morning, I had a miracle. I was able to attend an emergency visa interview and finally got my visa approved," reads his Instagram story.
"Now I can go to Salt Lake City, thank you so much to everyone who worried about me and supported me."
It's currently unclear whether or not his coaching staff have also been allowed entry into the US, but Lee will certainly be there.
His absence would have been a big miss for the competition. The four-time World Cup gold-medalist has been the only climber to threaten the seemingly unstoppable Anraku this year, coming just 0.4 points behind him in the season's first bouldering competition.
Anraku, 18, will fancy his chances at yet another gold in his favored discipline. He's breezed through the competition so far, cruising to a third victory last weekend after two decisive climbs in April.
The 2025/26 women's competition looks a little different from previous years due to the absence of two of the world's best all-around climbers.
World Cup 45-time gold medalist Janja Garnbret will miss most of this season as she takes time to rest, while world champion Natalia Grossman is recovering from long-term knee injuries.
Without them, the competition has been something of a free-for-all, with a different winner in every competition.
A return to the bouldering wall should be good news for American youngster Annie Sanders, who sailed to victory in the season opener with a precise, technical climb. At just 17, Sanders has a big future ahead of her and showed real promise with a fourth-place finish in the 2024/25 competition.
French duo Naile Meignan and Oriane Bertone will also fancy their chances. The latter beat her compatriot by just 0.1 points in the final round of last week's bouldering competition. Both are aggressive boulderers but lack the experience of some of their competitors.
IFSC World Cup Schedule
Qualification
- 8am PT (May 23) / 11am EST (May 23) / 4pm BST (May 23) Women's qualification
- 2.30pm PT (May 23) / 5.30pm EST (May 23) / 10.30pm BST (May 23) Men's qualification
Semi-finals and finals
- 9am PT (May 24) / 12pm EST (May 24) / 5pm BST (May 24) Women's semi-finals
- 4pm PT (May 24) / 7pm EST (May 24) / 12am BST (May 25)Women's final
- 9am PT (May 25) / 12pm EST (May 25) / 5pm BST (May 25) Men's semi-finals
- 4pm PT (May 25) / 7pm EST (May 25) / 12am BST (May 26) Men's final
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 over 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.
How to watch the IFSC World Cup
There are loads of ways to watch the upcoming World Cup competition, with plenty of broadcasters and streaming services providing coverage.
Check out how you can watch where you are with our expert guide.
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