BURSTThe World Cup stop in Prague, Czechia wrapped up yesterday and Team USA member Annie Sanders came away with not one, but two gold medals. In Boulder, Sanders flashed two problems and topped another to earn her spot atop the podium and her third-ever Boulder World Cup first-place finish. She was joined by Great Britain’s Erin McNeice in second and China’s Yuetong Zhang in third.
Sanders started the evening strong, being the only competitor to top problem #1. “The first one really suited me super well,” said Sanders after the comp. “When I went out to observation I thought ‘oh yeah, I’m going to do this boulder’ and I went out and executed.” All other climbers flashed zone but failed to reach the top.
The second problem of the evening didn’t go as well for Sanders. Several climbers topped the bloc but Sanders only reached zone. Incredibly, McNeice topped the problem after 10 attempts. Problem #3 was very sendy, with all climbers other than Anon Matsufuji securing a top. Sanders flashed the problem.
Podium placements all came down to the fourth and final problem of the evening. Sanders again flashed the problem, winning gold. McNeice also flashed it but those 10 attempts on problem #2 left her behind Sanders in points, earning silver. Zhang’s flash of problem #4 gave her enough points to take the bronze. “It feels pretty incredible,” said Sanders after her victory. “I’m still trying to process it. The crowd was super supportive and it was pretty electric.”
The day after the women’s Boulder final, Sanders competed in the Lead comp. She placed first overall in the semi-finals, followed closely behind by Chaehyun Seo of South Korea. In the finals, Seo came out second-last and reached a high-point of 35, considerably higher than any previous competitor. Sanders took the stage as the final climber of the evening, and although she didn’t reach the top, she climbed flawlessly, reaching hold 37 and earning gold.
With her victory in Prague, Sanders claimed the third Lead World Cup gold medal of her career. She also won gold in Wujiang earlier this season and Madrid in 2025.
“It was super fun,” said Sanders after winning gold in Lead. “The route climbed very bouldery, which I think suited my style quite a bit. I managed to find the hand hold at the top that led to the crimp that helped me take the win. It was incredible. I’m really tired. But it was super cool and the crowd was super supportive. Yeah, I’m pretty excited.”
Winning both Boulder and Lead at the same event was a historic milestone for Sanders. Only two other women have achieved the feat: France’s Sandrine Levet and Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret. Garnbret, widely considered the comp climbing GOAT, has earned double champ status four times in her career.
Boulder Final Results
- Annie Sanders (USA) 84.3
- Erin McNeice (GBR) 84.1
- Yuetong Zhang (CHN) 69.7
- Melody Sekikawa (JPN) 69.5
- Oceania Mackenzie (AUS) 59.5
- Mao Nakamura (JPN) 54.6
- Zélia Avezou (FRA) 44.7
- Anon Matsufuji (JPN) 29.7
Women’s Boulder Final in Prague
Lead Final Results
- Annie Sanders (USA) 37
- Chaehyun Seo (KOR) 35
- Zélia Avezou (FRA) 31+
- Jessica Pilz (AUT) 30
- Ella Fisher (USA) 24+
- Hana Koike (JPN) 24+
- Aleksandra Totkova (BUL) 18+
- Jain Kim (KOR) 14+
Lead Final in Prague
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