Arco (Tn), September 27 - 28
Rock Master 2003
Competition or event? It is a thin boundary for the year’s
most prestigious appointment of international sport climbing that
by now has reached the 17° edition.
The Arco’s competition has grown with the time, contemporaneously
with the evolution of sport climbing. To the on-sight and worked
rounds, a few years ago, also bouldering has been added. This last
specialty has had some little problems until it has found its right
dimension, an idea of French Jackie Godoffe: a spectacular format,
with direct elimination, easy to understand for the spectators.
But the Rock Master isn’t only competition. With the time,
together with the Arco event, a few initiatives connected with the
vertical world have been started, that have transformed the small
town of Arco in the capital of the European climbing. This new reality,
supported by the political attention that grants funds to enhance
the value of the local crags, represents a winning example of how
it is possible to propose ways of alternative tourism, connected
with the local environment and with the sports that can be practiced
there.
Inauguration Vertical La Sportiva
At 11 A.M. on Saturday, it has taken place the official inauguration
of the exclusive-brand La Sportiva shop in Arco, although the
shop has opened a few months ago. Drinks and snacks offered by
Fabio Leoni, the manager of the shop, to celebrate the event.
An opportunity, for the numerous passionates arrived for the Rock
Master, to see the entire La Sportiva collection and to get to
know better the products of the shoe-manufacturer of the Trento
region.
The competition
The event begins in the early afternoon on Saturday the 27th.
It begins with the on-sight route, while Sunday is reserved to
the worked route, that the athletes have tried in the previous
days. Two lines, two different progression styles, finalized to
represent the synthesis of modern climbing. On-sight climbing
is intuition, capability to decode and talent. The worked route
is pure difficulty, fast execution and capability to manage best
the psychophysical energy of the athlete.
An original competition format that has often provided for surprises
and always a great show. Unforgettable the win, in 1991, of Japanese
Yuji Hirayama, the last one after the on-sight round and winner
after the worked route of the second day, blessed by an incredible
series of positive circumstances. To be remembered also the successes
of athletes, then little-known, who would have become the future
protagonists, like François Legrand in 1990 or Katie Brown
in ’96 and ’97, who landed on the climbing world like
an alien and as such later disappeared.
Rock Master women’s category
In this context we can consider the incredible surprise of the
2003 edition, Angela Eiter. The 17-year-old Austrian athlete has
literally routed the field, beating champions like Muriel Sarkany
and Sandrine Levet, with astonishing authority and confidence.
The only athlete to top out both routes (on-sight and worked one)
of the women’s Rock Master, and to reach both chains of
the following parallel duel, named after the late Ennio Lattisi.
Disconcertment among the rivals, who look with worry and great
respect at this new rival, who has reached the top of the women’s
category.
We spoke about Muriel Sarkany, reigning world champion in difficulty
and just winner of her fifth World Cup. The strong Belgian climber
has fought very hard until the last holds of both routes, but
she has always been rejected by the very last moves that have
represented the difference between her and Eiter. Logically not
at the top of her condition, as she was participating to the Rock
Master although she had just conquered all important objectives
of the year (World Championship and general ranking of the 2003
World Cup), Sarkany has honored in the best way the sport she
loves, competing with honor and acknowledging publicly the value
of the rival.
A little behind Sandrine Levet, just a few centimeters from Sarkany
and a couple of meters from Eiter. But for the beautiful French
girl it is a different matter. Polyvalence of climbing is fundamental
for Levet and she wants to conquer, first in the world, the climbing
Grand Slam: Difficulty and Bouldering World Cup. A definitely
hard goal, leaving out of consideration the physical capabilities,
because it is influenced by two different, although partially
compatible, kinds of athletic training.
Good performance of the Italian Jenny Lavarda, who confirms her
optimum period of improvement, that has allowed her to tenaciously
climb the world ranking, until consolidating a well-deserved fifth
position, that exactly corresponds to her placement in the general
ranking of Rock Master 2003. For the young girl from Vicenza there
are still possibilities to improve and with the tenacity that
distinguish her she can look with confidence to the future.
Rock Master men’s category
Few surprises instead among the men. The very strong Alex Chabot,
who has recovered after the delusion of the world championship,
the only title still missing in his palmares, continues to squeeze
holds and to grind meters on the competition walls of the planet,
although in a less irresistible way compared with the past. This
because the adversaries have improved, and are always more aggressive
and numerous. As a matter of fact, if until yesterday only Tomas
Mrazek, reigning Difficulty World Champion, could be a concern
for the leadership of Chabot, today also the two Spanish climbers
Ramon Juliàn Puigblanque and Patxi Usobiaga demonstrate
to be always nearer. Practically the process of generational exchange
at the top of the men’s category of the difficulty has been
completed, with the old names always further back in the rankings,
as if they belonged to another category. This is the result of
the evolution of modern route setting, with routes always more
specific and, we could say, less technical. It is impressive to
see athletes of the caliber of Brenna or Ovtchinnikov giving their
best, without making mistakes, and still having to be satisfied
with a seventh and eight position.
But on the other side this is the pitiless law of sport, that
doesn’t have respect for anybody, in front of the aseptic
numeral value of a measurable performance, and therefore comparable.
It is the time that is passing and drags along all old things,
sooner or later. The important thing is that the athlete recognizes,
at the right moment, his limits and steps beside with the right
timing, avoiding the slow and melancholic euthanasia of ranking
that is always the saddest moment of a brilliant sport career.
For this reason it hasn’t been good to see the multi-champion
Legrand trudging on the competition routes and sadly finishing
in the last position, when a few years before he was still fighting
for victory. It hasn’t been good for him, and particularly
for the spectators. Everybody prefers to remember him like the
great champion that he has been and for the emotions that he has
given us on the competition fields all over the world.
Ennio Lattisi Trophy
We could say a competition inside the competition. A parallel
duel in which two athletes climb at the same time on two identical
itineraries. The winner is the one who climbs higher or finishes
the route first. This round has never been liked much by the athletes,
but the competition rules oblige the first four of the Rock Master
ranking to participate. Four men and four women for eight duels.
In the first round the Rock Master winner climbs against the fourth
of the ranking, and the second against the third. The winners
of the first two rounds then fight for the victory, while the
other two climb for the third place.
In the men’s category Czech climber Tomas Mrazek gets straight
away his revenge on Alex Chabot, who must be satisfied with the
fourth position. Second place for Spanish Usobiaga, while his
compatriot Puigblanque is third.
In the women’s field outstanding Angela Eiter beats again
Sarkany. Third position for Swiss Alexandra Eyer in front of a
tired Sandrine Levet.
Sint Roc boulder contest
The above was the report of the difficulty. But there is more
about the Rock Master 2003. For example the exciting bouldering
competition, where the world’s best specialists climb a
series of previously rehearsed problems with direct elimination.
As I already described above, this is a new format, designed to
eliminate dead times, improve the show and simplify at the most
the understanding of the sport performance for the spectators.
The competitors climb four boulder problems. They start with the
first one and there are two possibilities: if they top out on
the first try they continue to the second round, otherwise they
have two more tries. The athlete with the worst performance is
eliminated and the others go on, until the last boulder, where
the last three competitors fight for the victory on the last problem.
Women’s competition on Saturday night, after the speed.
Awesome win for Olga Bibik, who barely beats the very young French
Alizée Dufraisse. Good third position for Giulia Giammarco,
unfortunately not at her best after a foot injury.
Men’s round in the early afternoon on Sunday, just after
the difficulty. Triumph for Italian Mauro Calibani, also with
an injury, but at a knee. Despite the physical problem, strong
win for the extremely powerful climber from Ascoli, who repeats
the victory of last year. Without doubt a great performance, achieved
wearing the new Venom, the new model designed by La Sportiva to
satisfy the requirements of modern bouldering.
Second place for a very determined Serik Kazbekov, while French
Daniel Dulac must be satisfied with the third position.
Speed
What to say about it? Technically speaking, we are at the antipodes
of traditional climbing, but the motoric movement is the same.
And the spectators seem to appreciate the fight against the clock
of these vertical runners. Sure is that sport climbing is something
else and it’s unlikely that we will find on the crags somebody
training for speed climbing on a 15-meter 6a route.
For the files, Russian Alexei Gadeev won, second the other Russian
Alexandre Chaoulsky and third Pole Tomasz Oleksy. The latter has
also established the new speed record of Rock Master, 10”85.
Rock Master Party
End of the battle, start of the dance. The Rock Master Party starts
at 18 p.m. on the streets of downtown. First meeting in Café
Trentino, to celebrate the winners with music, cake and wine for
everybody. Then transfer to the nearby Bar Conti, where mythical
Pio, tireless animator of local “movida” has offered
a big buffet to everybody and organized a live concert with a
local funky band. Further the technical sponsors of Rock Master
(La Sportiva, The North Face and Cassin) have organized a lottery
with rich prizes for all participants. Optimum climate and atmosphere
at the end of the two competition days, for an event that becomes
of age next year.
Eighteen years are an important halting-place that can have different
meanings. It’s the start to different phases of life, towards
moments of more maturity. Exactly this word “maturity”
can represent the turning point of the future Rock Master. An
appointment that must continue to grow, to go with the time, and,
at the same time, experiment new ideas to anticipate the trends
of the future years. Any ideas? Many people appreciate the relaxed
climate in the shadow of Colodri, the cool ambiance and the “dolce
vita” everywhere. That’s it, may be exactly this is
the interpreting key for the future of Rock Master: an official
moment, focused on the competition, but, at the same time, also
a series of parallel events offered to the people for several
days, giving everybody a pretext to spend a week of alternative
holiday, immersed in the colored climbing world proposed by the
town of Arco. In short, a Rock Master less concentrated on the
schedule, that becomes more relaxed and distributed on several
days, until it becomes what could be the “Rock Master climbing
week”.
Oscar Durbiano
Trophy Rock Master men’s results
1° Alexandre Chabot (Fra)
2° Tomàs Mràzek (Cze)
3° Ramon Juliàn Puigblanque (Esp)
4° Patxi Usobiaga (Esp)
5° Cédric Lachat (Sui)
6° Christain Bindhammer (Ger)
7° Evguenj Ovtchinnikov (Rus)
8° Cristian Brenna (Ita)
9° Flavio Crespi (Ita)
10° Alberto Gnerro (Ita)
11° Evgueni Krivocheicev (Ukr)
12° François Legrand (Fra)
Trophy Rock Master women’s results
1° Angela Eiter (Aut)
2° Muriel Sarkany (Bel)
3° Sandrine Levet (Fra)
4° Alexandra Eyer (Sui)
5° Jenny Lavarda (Ita)
6° Maja Vidmar (Slo)
7° Martina Cufar (Slo)
8° Bettina Schöpf (Aut)
9° Damaris Knorr (Ger)
Sint Rock boulder contest women’s
results
1° Olga Bibik (Rus)
2° Alisée Dufraisse (Fra)
3° Giulia Giammarco (Ita)
4° Natalia Perlova (Ukr)
5° Iulia Abramtchouk (Rus)
6° Vera Kotasova (Cze)
Sint Rock boulder contest men’s results
1° Mauro Calibani (Ita)
2° Serik Kazbekov (Ukr)
3° Daniel Dulac (Fra)
4° Salavat Rakhmetov (Rus)
5° Kilian Fishhuber (Ger)
6° Tomasz Oleksy (Pol)
7° Wouter Jongeneelen (Ned)
8° Stefano Ghidini (Ita)
Duel Ennio Lattisi women’s results
1° Angela Eiter (Aut)
2° Muriel Sarkany (Bel)
3° Alexandra Eyer (Sui)
4° Sandrine Levet (Fra)
Duel Ennio Lattisi men’s results
1° Tomàs Mràzek (Cze)
2° Patxi Usobiaga (Esp)
3° Ramon Juliàn Puigblanque (Esp)
4° Alexandre Chabot (Fra)
