Silver Medal at the Home World Cup 🥈
After two very good training days at the training camp in Zillertal, I went home for two nights before heading to Innsbruck fully motivated on Sunday. With very good memories of Innsbruck – last year I managed to get my first World Cup victory here – the anticipation was high, but so was the tension. It was going to be my first IFSC World Cup with my new announcer, Patrik Törnström, alias “Elch” (Elk). We had trained a lot and now hoped to show what we’re made of in the strong field of competitors.
The qualification on Monday started with 5 female athletes – the final quota was 3, so I really had to push myself and couldn’t make any mistakes. The competitors were strong, the temperatures high, and both routes were steep, which suited me well. The first route, in a strong overhang, was very well set with a wonderful sitting rest before the last moves. Unfortunately, I took the second-to-last hold with the right hand, but was positioned incorrectly and couldn’t hold the open door. I was in 2nd place, tied with the German, Luisa, on the first route; Seneida, the American – she sat out Salt Lake – had advanced one hold further and was therefore ahead of us. But even the fourth and fifth placed athletes could make it to the final with the second route. So it was all about giving everything to climb into the final on Tuesday. After a short rain break, we went into the significantly easier route, which we could study well during the lunch break. With a TOP in the second route, I secured my spot in the final behind Seneida and ahead of Luisa.
The final for me was completely dominated by the heat. Although the route was brilliantly set, the black holds were boiling hot. I felt like my head was exploding and I couldn’t think clearly anymore. I kept wanting to “chalk my head” so I could think again… We managed the first crux well. Then suddenly there was a really difficult move in front of us, and I didn’t know what to do. When I finally tried to grab the next hold, I couldn’t reach it, but I could at least secure the + rating. The American who started after me positioned her feet differently and was able to reach the hold and one more, and we were both happy – this time in a different order – to stand on the first two places on the podium. Again, together with a German athlete in the bronze spot.
Here are a few impressions from the World Cup in Innsbruck:
Here are the articles about the World Cup from Austriaclimbing:
Strong Start at the Paraclimbing World Cup
Under high summer temperatures – including a brief rain break – the IFSC Climbing World Cup Innsbruck (June 23rd to 29th) started promisingly on Monday.
210 athletes tackled the paraclimbing qualification on the first day of competition, and four Austrians were rewarded with a place in the final after convincing performances. Alongside Angelino Zeller and Markus Pösendorfer (AL1) and Jasmin Plank (RP2), Linda Le Bon (B2) also made it through.
[…] Linda Le Bon (B2) also confidently made it into the final. With a top in the second route and an overall second place, the 60-year-old is in a lurking position. “A top is always nice, but there’s still some room for improvement. Tomorrow is a new day, and I want to attack again,” says the athlete from NFÖ Wien.
Report on the Qualification round: https://www.austriaclimbing.com/detail/artikel/starker-auftakt-beim-paraclimbing-weltcup.html
Double Home Victory
The IFSC Climbing World Cup Innsbruck 2025 got off to a perfect start!
At the home Paraclimbing World Cup, Jasmin Plank (RP2) and Angelino Zeller (AL1) celebrated their latest international victories. Linda Le Bon’s (B2) and Markus Pösendorfer’s (AL1) second-place finishes rounded off a successful climbing afternoon for Austria at the Innsbruck Climbing Center.
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Second Place as a Motivation Boost
“It was okay until the last black hold.” That’s how Linda Le Bon describes her performance in the final route. With a total of 41+ holds, the 60-year-old secured second place in the B2 category. Only American Seneida Biendarra went further with 44 holds. German Luise Gruber took third place with 25 holds. Despite earning her second podium finish of the season – after winning in Salt Lake City – in the second Paraclimbing World Cup, Le Bon remained self-critical: “I don’t think I climbed strongly. It was solid, but not how I would have liked it. There’s still room for improvement.” The big problem: heat. “It was very difficult for me at the top today; the sun was burning, my head felt like a boiling cauldron,” she described the conditions during the final.
Despite everything, Le Bon’s motivation for her two big goals remains high. The 2025 World Championships in Seoul (KOR) is her declared interim goal – the big goal is clear: “The Paralympics L.A. 2028.” Until then, she will continue to train hard and consistently. In addition to classic climbing sessions, the athlete from NFÖ Wien also primarily hones her fitness at the Olympiazentrum Salzburg-Rif.