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 The
World Cup series returns to France, after two competitions in Italy. In
fact after the start in Chamonix we crossed the border for the events in
Lecco and Courmajeur at the end of the summer. With the autumn, among the
other meetings of the competition season, here the end of the World Cup.
The circuit of the World Cup returns to our cousins' home. We are in the
northeastern France, in Nantes, that for the first time hosts such an
important competition. This to continue the politics of sport climbing
promotion followed with excitement by the FFME, the French Climbing
Federation. The concept is to bring, when possible, the sport climbing
show to a new place, in order to let more new people get to know the
activity. In a sport Palace was located the artificial wall of Entreprise,
the famous company, which builds artificial walls and which sponsorizes
the French Federation and then the start: new game, new run. It has been
the competition of the chains and the ex-equo, very many in two
competitions days. The fact, due in part to the particular profile of the
climbing wall, a succession of roofs and roofs exit, and to the route
setters, led by the Spaniard Patxi Arocena, has made the show longer and
more uncertain than
usual. In both the women's and the men's field has been reached the
superfinal. Big and important the motivations in the field, in both
categories the fight for the title is still completely open and uncertain.
Among the women the question is at this point limited to two people, the
world Champion Liv Sansoz and the rival Muriel Sarkany. This time is the
turn of the French to reach the lead of the overall ranking, thanks to the
victory of Nantes. Even more important victory because of the fact that in
the superfinal the French beat the revelation of the season, German Katrin
Sedlmayer, who passes Sarkany and Bodet, both at the third place. In the
general ranking now Sansoz leads with 35 points over her rival Sarkany. To
notice the awesome performance of the young Jenny Lavarda, 6°, who in
this way conquers her second final of the World Cup season, consolidating
a stating position always more important, if we consider that the
16-year-old from Schio is at the beginning, in the important category, for
a sporting career that seams to become very interesting. We will see. If
the women's competition was rich with surprises, the same was for the
men's event. Cold shower for the Italian ambitions, with a 16° place for
Bernardino Lagni, until now in a good fight for the top of the ranking.
Dino had a slightly feeble performance, an impossible thing nowadays, if
we consider the same high level of everybody in the field. To confirm the
same level, an example above all, the results reached by big champions
like François Legrand, who stepped on the podium only once this year, in
spite of the period of good shape that he is having, and that allowed him,
among other things, to succeed in the first red-point of a new 9a route in
USA. The only one of the Italian team who managed to reach the final is
Christian Brenna, who was able to complete the route together with six
other athletes. Among them we find the rivals Hirayama and Chabot, who
lead the provisional World Cup ranking. The final route is completed as a
matter of fact exactly by these two athletes and by the other French Paul
Dewilde. Next turn, next run. In the men's superfinal the very strong
Hirayama shows another time that he is the strongest and consolidates his
leadership in the World Cup. Nothing decided then, and still completely
open games for the traditional end in Kranj,  Slovenia,
the next weekend. In the women's field, if the first position seams an
issue reserved to the favorite Sansoz and Sarkany, Bodet has to take care
of the rivals, although she maintains some little hope to compete with the
Belgian for the conquest of the second place in the overall ranking. Same
thing for the men's field, where the fight for the final title is limited
to Hirayama and Chabot. Open possibilities instead for the third position,
with Petrenko with a slight advantage over Lagni, but with Brenna very
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