BURSTTeam Japan’s Sorato Anraku just made history. After winning gold at the first three Boulder comps of the season – Keqiao, Bern , and Madrid – he won gold once again today at the event in Prague, becoming the first male climber ever to win four Boulder World Cup events in a row. Anraku was joined on the podium by South Korean climber Dohyun Lee in second and Team France’s Mejdi Schalck in third.
The boulders in the men’s final were nails, leading to only three tops across all climbers and all blocs. The evening started out with Schalk in the lead. He flashed the first problem with relative ease while everyone else only reached zone on their first or second attempt. Anraku and Lee both flashed the zone but were unable to complete the problem before time ran out.
The second problem shut out all climbers. Anraku was the only competitor to reach zone in a single attempt. It took both Schalck and Lee two attempts. The third problem was the most sendy of the night with Lee and Anraku flashing it. Schalck secured zone after two attempts.
Moving into the final problem, Anraku was in first, leading Lee by a single attempt (0.1 points) and Schalck by two attempts (0.2 points). The problem was another shut out for the field of competitors. Anraku was the only climber to flash the zone. Lee and Schalck took two attempts.
“I can’t really say anything,” said Anraku after his fourth Boulder World Cup gold in a row. “I don’t really understand how to feel, but it’s good to relieve some pressure. The final round was a bit coordination on the slab, and this is not my style.”
In 2023, Anraku’s rookie season, he took the Boulder series by storm, placing first overall after the season’s six events. He was just 16 years old at the time. After winning the series in 2024, he took the overall boulder title yet again in 2025. He’s well on his way to winning the title this season. That would be his fourth overall season in a row, which would be a world record.
Could Anraku sweep the entire season? He only has two stops left: Innsbruck in June and Salt Lake City in October. Janja Garnbret is the only climber ever to sweep the World Cup season for a single discipline. When asked about the potential season sweep, he said: “I know the record, but I don’t care so much. I just love competing.”
Final Results
- Sorato Anraku (JPN) 55.0
- Dohyun Lee (KOR) 54.8
- Mejdi Schalck (FRA) 54.7
- Sam Avezou (FRA) 39.7
- Maximillian Milne (GBR) 29.9
- Max Bertone (FRA) 29.6
- Lucas Trandafir (GER) 29.4
- Jan-Luca Posch (AUT) 29.4
Men’s Boulder World Cup Final in Prague
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