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Bibik and Meyer win Bouldering WC 2006 in Moscow

The Bouldering World Cup 2006 was won by Olga Bibik and Jerome Meyer. Kilian Fischhuber and Yulia Abramchuk win seventh stage in Moscow last weekend.

PlanetMountain

November 2006

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Giulio Malfer

This year's Bouldering World Cup came to an end as expected, with Olga Bibik and Jerome Meyer "defending" their overall 2006 title. The seventh and final stage held in Moscow last weekend was won by Kilian Fischhuber from Austria ahead of the evergreen Salavat Rakhmetov and Tomasz Olesky, while Yulia Abramchuk from Russia beat Olga Shalagina and Natalija Gros.

Olga Bibik placed fourth in Moscow to take her first ever World Cup title, which deservedly crowns her long-term dream: in 2004 she placed second overall and also won the European title, while in 2005 she placed second overall once more. Perseverance paid off for Frenchman Jerome Meyer too, who doubles his World Cup takings after winning the circuit in 2003. In 2004 he had placed third, while in 2005 he had placed second.

It must be said that Meyer's victory was pretty much set after the penultimate stage in Hall many months ago, in June to be exact. 80 points separated him from the rest and even super Fischhuber would find it impossible to bridge this gap. Meyer needed to finish a "mere" 8th to win his second title thanks to his incredible 2006 score comprised of three straight victories, two second places and one third. Fischhuber won his second WC stage with a perfect final - he sent all four boulders - and can be satisfied with having defended his title in the best way possible. One thing is certain though: the battle for supremacy will continue next season and both Meyer and Fischhuber, i.e. the two dominators on the WC Bouldering scene, will be there to direct it.

Olga Bibik's victory turned out to be a success too, perhaps even unhoped for. The 30 year old had three victories, one second place and a 13th under her belt and with her 4th place in Moscow she overtook Juliette Danion by 84 points. The Frenchwoman had been trailing 34 pints behind and was the athlete in a position to challenge Bibik, but her disappointing 26th place in Russia smashed hopes completely. 18 year old Anna Stöhr from Austria placed third overall despite her under-par performance in Russia (where she placed only 11th), and her bronze medal is the fruit of an excellent season marked by one victory (in Grindelwald) one second place, one third and one fourth.

Salavat Rakhmetov's performance deserves a special mention, for once again the ageless Cossack fought his way onto the podium. It seems almost superfluous to say that the 38 year old reigning World Champion from Alma Ata is truly unique. As is ex-World Champion and multiple WC winner Christian Core from Italy, who confirmed his valor once again to place 4th overall. Things could well have turned out differently: after the Semifinal he led the provisional ranking, but a slight but decisive injury put an end to hopes. Core finished sixth in Moscow, overtaking Loic Gaidioz in the overall ranking but not Gérome Pouvreau who, despite missing out on Moscow, placed third.

The Bouldering World Cup 2006 comes to a close and attention now shifts to 2007 with the European Championship in Birmingham on 16-18 March and the first World Cup stage in Erlangen on 30-31 March.

Final results Bouldering World Cup 2006
men
1. Meyer Jérome FRA
2. Fischhuber Kilian AUT
3. Pouvreau Gérome FRA
4. Core Christian ITA
5. Gaidioz Loic FRA
women
1. Bibik Olga RUS
2. Danion Juliette FRA
3. Stöhr Anna AUT
4. Abramchuk Yulia RUS
5. Abgrall Emilie FRA

Final results Moscow - men
1. Fischhuber Kilian AUT
2. Rakhmetov Salavat RUS
3. Oleksy Tomasz POL
4. Jongeneelen Wouter NED
5. Mrazek Tomas CZE
6. Core Christian ITA
7. Sharafutdinov Dmitry RUS
8. Meyer Jérome FRA
9. Badia Nicolas FRA
10. Julien Stephane FRA
11. Chernikov Mikhail RUS
12. Baumann Jonas GER
13. Shalagin Mykhaylo UKR
14. Earl Andrew GBR
15. Pekarev Mikhail RUS
16. Gaidioz Loic FRA
17. Kleshnov Stanislav UKR
18. Parry Gareth GBR
19. Schulte Ferdinand NED
20. Klancnik Rok SLO

Final results Moscow - women
1. Abramchuk Yulia RUS
2. Shalagina Olga UKR
3. Gros Natalija SLO
4. Bibik Olga RUS
5. Ansade Maud FRA
6. Chereshneva Yana RUS
7. Tuzhylina Svitlana UKR
8. Bezhko Olga UKR
9. Alexeeva Ksenia RUS
10. Vidmar Katja SLO
11. Stöhr Anna AUT
12. Tarassova Tatiana RUS
13. Bacher Barbara AUT
14. Graftiaux Chloé BEL
15. Rajfova Silvie CZE
16. Perlova Nataliya UKR
17. Lipenska Helena CZE
18. Galliamova Anna RUS
19. Agafonova Mariya RUS
20. Balakireva Aleksandra RUS

MOSCOW (Russia)
2-4 November 2006
BOULDERING WORLD CUP
7th stage

Olga Bibik, Jérome Meyer, Kilian Fischhuber in the 2006 Rovereto stage
photos Giulio Malfer

World Cup 2006
Bouldering
	1. Birmingham
	2. Rovereto
	3. Veliko Tarnovo
	4. Grindelwald
	5. Fiera di Primiero
	6. Hall
	7. Moscow
Links www
	Coupe-du-monde.ru