Rock Master: Adam Ondra conquered the iconic Lead Duel

Ondra inflames the climbing stadium

* Adam Ondra (CZE) and Brooke Raboutou (USA) conquered the iconic Lead Duel
* A great Schenk surrenders in the final, Rogora at the feet of the podium

The lights of the Climbing Stadium of Arco switched on for the first day of Rock Master, the longest-running sport climbing festival in the world, and enveloped the walls of the Trentino stadium in a magical atmosphere. Amidst breathless challenges and plot twists, the stars of world climbing, Adam Ondra (CZE) and Brooke Raboutou (USA), shone in the night of Arco in the fascinating and thrilling Lead Duel.

Passion and suspense are sensations that have accompanied the Duel format for years, a head-to-head capable of delivering spectacular and breathtaking performances, and this year was no exception, stirring up an overflowing crowd that packed the Climbing Stadium in Arco.

It was clear from the qualifying rounds that the competition would be one to watch, with incredible twists and turns that overturned the predictions with the falls of the big favourite Janja Garnbret and the champion Filip Schenk, as well as Giovanni Placci's false start. The elimination rounds were of the highest level from the quarterfinals onwards, keeping viewers of the live broadcast on RAI Sport and other international broadcasters on the edge of their seats.

The quarterfinals delivered a show right from the start and a great coup de théâtre, with the two-time Olympic champion Janja Garnbret having to contend with the fluid and spectacular climbing of Brooke Raboutou (Olympic silver medallist), who sailed solo into the semi-finals, in a repeat of the Olympic final in Paris. In the semi-finals, Italy's Laura Rogora was unable to get the better of defending Rock Master champion Jessica Pilz and had to settle for a still respectable 4th place in the small final against young German Anna Maria Apel, who thus took third place on the podium.

The women's final was an exciting contest between American Brooke Raboutou and Austrian Jessica Pilz, thrilling the crowd at the Climbing Stadium in a genuine Olympic challenge that did not disappoint expectations. After a head-to-head battle up to the wave section, Raboutou manoeuvred between the holds with rare fluidity, pulling away from her Austrian challenger and flying towards her first Rock Master title, a unique family story, 36 years after her father Didier's victory and 31 years after her mother’s Robyn Erbesfield one in the Arco’s event.

The men's competition was no less exciting, with Adam Ondra winning yet another title in the Duel, proving once again why he is considered the strongest climber of all time and showing off his exceptional form. In the quarterfinals, it was rookie Giovanni Placci who had to face the Czech legend, who immediately made his intentions clear for the evening by making the most of his long limbs.

National champion Filip Schenk, defending his victory in last year's duel, also put on a show. He challenged Belgium's Hannes Van Duysen, winning after a head-to-head battle to the top button, while Stefano Ghisolfi had to concede to reigning champion Yannick Flohè. William “Will” Bosi also put in a great performance, defeating Austria's Stefan Scherz and putting on a show in the semi-final against Ondra, only conceding in the final stages.

The other semi-final saw Schenk prevail over Flohè after an even challenge right up to the wave, with the Italian earning his place in the final by touching the top button five seconds ahead of the German. The latter then took 4th place in the small final behind Will Bosi, who celebrated his return to Rock Master with a splendid third place.

Then, all eyes turned upward for the grand finale. The Duel began at a furious pace, with Schenk and Ondra alternating in first place in the early stages. However, when the route increased the inclination, Ondra showed everyone his greatness, hitting the decisive holds with extraordinary ease and quickness, winning his eighth Rock Master title and becoming the undisputed king: Spain's Puigblanque remains on seven titles in the roll of honour.
The first day of the Arco festival has come to an end, but there is no time to think about it, as the competitions resume this afternoon at 3 p.m., when it will be the turn of the FASI Chronos Clash, the speed challenge between Under17 and Under19 climbers from the Italian national team and the best from the Italian Youth Championship.

Lead Duel

Women: 1 Raboutou Brooke USA; 2 Pilz Jessica AUT; 3 Apel Anna Maria GER; 4 Rogora Laura ITA

Men: 1 Ondra Adam CZE; 2 Schenk Filip ITA; 3 Bosi William GBR; 4 Flohè Yannick GER 

Flohé flies, Ondra KO in the boulder 

* Janja Garnbret and Yannick Flohè triumph in the KO Boulder, with the public in a frenzy
* Filip Schenk steps on the podium behind Hannes Van Duysen

Great spectacle among the blocks of the KO Boulder of Rock Master, where yesterday evening, the 16 climbers captured the passion of an enthusiastic audience in the Climbing Stadium of Arco, with sensational eliminations and great performances. The winners were Slovenian Olympic champion Janja Garnbret and German Yannick Flohè.

The women's KO Boulder challenges concluded the day's competitions, with a magnificent Janja Garnbret beating all her opponents, dancing from hold to hold and thrilling the crowd in the Climbing Stadium. The Slovenian climber topped all the boulders on her first attempt, giving an incredible demonstration of strength worthy of her fame, almost as if to make up for her defeat in the Duel. In the first round, in addition to the Slovenian, also Brooke Raboutou, Friday’s winner, Anna Maria Apel, Laura Rogora, Heloise Doumont and Jessica Pilz reached the top on their first attempt. The Japanese Mei Kotake and the Austrian Mattea Pötzi, who, despite being eliminated, still reached the top on her last attempt, were excluded. In the second boulder, Heloïse Doumont and the champion of the Fiamme Oro, Laura Rogora, also had to bid farewell to the competition, while Austria’s Jessica Pilz gave up incredibly just before the fourth boulder. In the final, climbers Janja Garnbret, Brooke Raboutou and Anna Maria Apel battled it out for victory on the last boulder, a real challenge estimated at around 8b+, an extreme passage from the first to the last hold, which proved difficult for the American and German climbers, who failed to reach the top in three attempts, but not two-time Olympic champion Janja Garnbret, who, with almost choreographed movements accompanied by the soundtrack of the Rock Master audience, won the KO Boulder 2025 title.

In the men’s KO Boulder, Yannick Flohè struck when it counted and took the victory, defending last year’s title. The German triumphed in a race that was by no means a foregone conclusion, with a highly acclaimed Hannes Van Duysen in second place, author of a masterpiece in a third block that seemed impossible. The bronze medal went to Filip Schenk, who confirmed his excellent form after winning silver in Friday evening's Duel Lead final. The competition was not without its twists and turns. After Giovanni Placci and William Bosi were eliminated, in the first round Yannick Flohè had to resort to his third and final attempt to stay in the competition. The second boulder brought surprises, with Italian champion Stefano Ghisolfi and legend Adam Ondra, winner of Friday's Duel, having to abandon the competition after three attempts without reaching the top, while Flohè and Van Duysen showed great confidence and fluidity.

In a third boulder that caused the athletes quite a few headaches, Van Duysen seemed doomed, until when, on his last attempt, the young Belgian performed a real miracle by reaching the top (the only one to do so), with elegance and champion-like movements, thereby eliminating Austria's Stefan Scherz. In the final with Filip Schenk, Yannick Flohè and Hannes Van Duysen, the German was the only one to reach the top and celebrated his win by inflaming the crowd, while the Belgian and Italian of the Fiamme Oro competed for the silver medal, which ended up around the former's neck.

With the second day now over, today marks the end of the Arco festival with lots of events and activities organised by Rock Master 20.20 and Garda Dolomiti S.p.A. There is great interest in The Fun Bloc, a non-competitive boulder gathering, which sees participants put themselves to the test on the boulders of the Climbing Stadium from 10 a.m. onwards. At the same time, Adam Ondra will be at Climbin' Espresso, where he will chat over coffee in the city centre, while the morning yoga session with Giorgia Benecchi offers a relaxing way to start the day. There are numerous activities to suit all tastes, and admission to the festival is free. To relive the excitement of KO Boulder, a summary will be broadcast on RAI Sport on Tuesday 21st at 7.30 p.m. and Wednesday 22nd at 12.35 p.m. With the competitions over, Rock Master continues on this last big day of events dedicated to sport climbing.

KO Boulder

Women: 1 Janja Garnbret SLO; 2 Brooke Raboutou USA; 3 Anna Maria Apel GER; 4 Jessica Pilz AUT; 5 Laura Rogora ITA; 6 Heloïse Doumont BEL; 7 Mei Kotake JPN; 8 Mattea Pötzi AUT 

Men: 1 Yannick Flohé GER; 2 Hannes Van Duysen BEL; 3 Filip Schenk ITA; 4 Stefan Scherz AUT; 5 Adam Ondra CZE; 6 Stefano Ghisolfi ITA; 7 Giovanni Placci ITA; 8 William Bosi GBR

Just for fun, Rock Master is trendy

* With the last day, the 38th Rock Master concluded successfully
* Over 10,000 spectators in the three days, with over 50 nations represented

The competitions ended with yesterday’s KO Boulder, won by Garnbret and Flohé, while today’s programme, Rock Master 20.20 and Garda Trentino branded, did not stop and warmed up the atmosphere of a cloudy Arco with many side events and special appointments.

In the early morning, and then in the afternoon, enthusiasts of all ages took part in The Fun Bloc gathering, a special occasion where over a hundred climbers tested themselves on the walls of the Climbing Stadium, trying to emulate their idols, including the hugely popular Garnbret, Schenk and the ever-present Adam Ondra. In the morning, the Czech climber took part in several activities, including the Climbin’ Espresso in the city centre and various events in the Climbing Village, the area set up next to the stadium, which was the theatre of the many activities that, even today, attracted a large crowd and entertained the many children present.

It is already time to announce next year's event, but not before drawing conclusions on the success of the 38th edition of Rock Master, made possible by the tireless efforts of the Rock Master 20.20 committee, with Stefano Bresciani at his first edition as president: ‘The results are exciting. Without the collaboration with Garda Trentino, all this would not have been possible, so we hope to continue with this great teamwork, not only for us, but above all, for the city of Arco. We have to thank all those, and there are many, who have enabled us to achieve this great result.’

Silvio Rigatti, president of Garda Dolomiti S.p.A, shares the same opinion: ‘the tourist board commitment has been maximum. Rock Master is a major event, and scheduling it at this time of the year is an added value for us. The formats, the new areas with the Village, which welcomed a huge number of people, were a success and a source of enormous satisfaction.’ Rigatti then concludes: ‘This demonstrates that we are on the right track. Things will improve year after year. I would like to thank everyone, the organising committee, the many volunteers and enthusiasts and all those who worked hard to make this a wonderful success.

Therefore, the countdown starts again and will bring next year to relive the magical emotions of Rock Master, the most iconic sport climbing event in the world.

INFO: Rock Master a Adam Ondra

 Rock Master na HORYDOLY

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2012 Arco Rock Legends 2012