Press Release
20 September 2014
adidas ROCKSTARS 2014
Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) and Sean McColl (CAN) win the
final showdown of the season
Thrill, drama and entertainment – 3,500 enthusiastic spectators celebrate the
rockstars in bouldering
Saturday evening, 10:30 pm. 3,500 spectators in the packed Porsche-Arena go wild,
because the superfinal of the fourth adidas ROCKSTARS bouldering invitational they have
just witnessed was exactly what the name indicates: super. Super thrilling, super tight and
super spectacular. Canada’s 27-year old Sean McColl wins the duel on the final boulder and
beats 18-year old Jongwon Chon from Korea by a nose. The two athletes almost climb
synchronously, jump simultaneously, and swing parallel. At the rim to the topout they are
abreast. Sean McColl slips and lunges at the buzzer while falling down. Not knowing whether
he hit the button properly, he stays on his back. Jongwon Chon, who also stumbled to the
top, is confident of victory and jubilantly throws his arms in the air. For a photo finish like this,
the adidas ROCKSTARS organisers have set up two buzzers on the super boulder, to clearly
determine a winner. A yellow light goes on at the buzzer that was hit first. The other buzzer is
blocked automatically. And today the yellow light shines for Sean McColl. The two time World
Champion Overall (L/S/B), who is known for his climbing speed, claims his second adidas
ROCKSTAR title after 2012. Jongwon Chon is happy, too. The young Korean has won the
local adidas ROCKSTARS Korea competition in Seoul for the second time this year and was
invited to Stuttgart. It is his first podium ever at a top-class international competition.
Reaching the final of the top 6 and beating world cup stars like Dmitrii Sharafutdinov (RUS),
Sachi Amma (JPN) or Jakob Schubert (AUT) in the semis has already been a huge success
for Chon. Last year he placed 22nd.
Chon is also the first who can top a boulder in the tough final. While all problems of the route
setters were solved in the qualification and the semi-final rounds, the top 6 men and women
literally wear themselves out on the first final boulder. After two exertive days, their fingers
are trashed and they are hurting. One can feel the pressure. First the finalist don’t want to
disappoint the 3,500 spectators who have come to the Porsche-Arena to cheer them on;
second they have to make the cut-off as after the first two boulders three athletes are
eliminated. None of the finalists can solve the first problem. However, Jongwon Chon and the
defending champion Jernej Kruder (SLO) grab the bonus hold. It all comes down to the
second boulder. Rustam Gelmanov (RUS) and Mathilde Becerra (FRA), who placed 6th in
the semis, start first. Mathilde reaches the bonus in her fifth attempt. Next Jongwon Chon
and Mélissa Le Nevé (FRA) take to the 44m wide stage. The two-time French Bouldering
Champion and first woman who repeated Wolfgang Güllich’s legendary Wallstreet (8c) in
May this year, reaches the bonus hold in her second try. On the opposite side the audience
sees a very flexible Chon fighting. He’s got one minute left. In his fourth and last attempt he
finally makes it to the top. A wave of excitement spreads through the arena. Chon revels in
the attention. The Korean has broken the spell. After him, Petra Klingler (SUI), Mina
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Markovič (SLO) and Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) successfully complete the second boulder.
Markovič, silver medallist at the 2014 Lead World Championship in Gijón, even manages a
flash. The adidas ROCKSTAR 2013, Jernej Kruder, reaches the bonus hold in his first try.
Rei Sugimoto (JPN) secures a bonus point in his third attempt. As Sean „the Machine“
McColl is about to top the second boulder in his fourth try, the spectators hold their breath,
because the Canadian suddenly stops at the rim to the topout, clenches his fist and is about
to jump down, believing that he completed the problem. In the nick of time he hears the
referee shouting that he must carry on. On top of the boulder the adidas ROCKSTARS 2012
realises that he almost squandered his chance for victory. After a brief moment of shock,
Sean has to laugh at himself and flirts like a born entertainer with the crowd.
After two boulders, the result is clear. Jongwon Chon, Sean McColl and Jernej Kruder
advance to the next round; so do Mina Markovič, Petra Klingler and Akiyo Noguchi. With only
one bonus under her belt, last year’s runner-up Shauna Coxsey (GBR) is out. But the British
boulder badass is happy to have competed at all after spraining her ankle on Thursday.
When the event’s sport physicians gave her the green light, she made her way to the final
with an aching, heavily strapped-up foot.
On the third boulder, the athlete start in reverse order to the intermediate standings. Akiyo
needed three attempts for her top and has to go first. A bit short of breath the graceful
Japanese lets the first 40 seconds pass, before she tackles the third dynamic problem of the
route setters. She reaches the bonus hold without difficulty, but is wrestling with the mantle
on the top. Akiyo sticks to her guns, she wants this flash that would be her ticket to the
superfinal. And she nails it. The crowd goes wild. Swiss powerhouse Petra Klinger cannot
top this boulder. Mina Markovič, however, successfully completes it in her fifth try. Hence the
superfinal pairing of women is set: Japan vs. Slovenia, Overall Bouldering World Cup
Champion against Overall Lead World Cup Champion.
Jongwon Chon and Sean McColl have scored one top in four tries, respectively. Jernej
Kruder hasn’t reached a top yet, but he has a better bonus balance. Last year’s winner is
getting the crowd behind him. If he can complete the third boulder in his fourth attempt, he
will enter the superfinal. But he doesn’t succeed. Today the silver medallist of the 2014
Bouldering World Championship has to settle for third place.
10:12 pm. The superfinal is set. Stuttgart’s punkrock band Badasstics performs the adidas
ROCKSTARS song „No Borders“ live. Akiyo Noguchi climbs on the left side of the super
boulder, Mina Markovič is on the right. They can’t see each other. They can only imagine
what’s happening on the other side based on the reactions of the crowd. The Japanese takes
the lead. 3,500 spectators in the arena go mad. Akiyo Noguchi wins the duel. After a second
place in 2012 and a third place in 2013, she finally claims the title. The Porsche-Arena is on
fire. Can this atmosphere be topped? It can. While the route setters change the boulder for
the superfinal of the men, European Beatbox Champion Robeat pumps up the crowd. The
25-year-old vocal acrobat is stepping on it: funny sound effects, hard techno beats, fast
drum-and-base rhythms. The spectators are thrilled by his performance. Finally, Sean McColl
and Jongwon Chon line up for the final duel of the evening. The rest is history.
36 hours later: the Porsche-Arena is empty. Apart from a few golden confetti shavings, there
is no allusion that a few hours ago the world’s best bouldering athletes have fought for victory
on a giant 30m wide wall. The mobile climbing wall that has been specifically developed for
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adidas ROCKSTARS has been dismantled. Eight tractor trucks have transported many tons
of material to the warehouse where it is stored – until next year.
For more information go to adidas-rockstars.com
Complete result lists
http://www.adidas-rockstars.com/en/event-info/results/
Quotes of the finalists
http://www.adidas-rockstars.com/event-info/athlete-feedback/
Replay of the Livestream
http://eversport.tv/rock-climbing/adidas-rockstars/2014/9/20/adidas-rockstars-stuttgart
adidas ROCKSTARS 2014 Event Clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no2sWJHSnh4
High res images of our event photographers Elias Holzknecht, Christian Waldegger
and Bert Willer
can be downloaded free of charge for editorial use, provided that you name our
photographers.
http://rockstars.planet-talk.net
User: adidasROCKSTARS
Passwort: media2014
adidas ROCKSTARS Media Guide 2014
http://www.adidasrockstars.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Press/Documents/2014/MediaGuide_ENG_2014.pdf
Media contact adidas ROCKSTARS
Sonja Güldner-Hamel
M_+49 170 27 50 510
@[email protected]
http://www.adidas-rockstars.com
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