The IFSC African Qualifier in Pretoria, South Africa, selected the top-eight climbers in the men’s Boulder & Lead event at the end of an exciting semi-final round.

Competing on home turf, Christopher Cosser of South Africa started his day by equalling the highest score ever in a Boulder phase – 99.9 points – only taking two attempts to solve problem number three. The 22-year-old from Johannesburg, currently living in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, capped his dominant performance by topping the Lead route and finishing with 199.9 total points.

Cosser said: “I’m very happy with my performance. I wasn’t nervous for my climbing, I was nervous because it’s an important event, and I haven’t competed since this year’s World Cup in Salt Lake City.

“The level of the South African team has grown a lot in these past few years. We had athletes making semi-finals at the Youth Worlds in Dallas and Seoul, and it’s been developing pretty well in some areas.

“I’m excited for tomorrow’s final. I have it in the back of my head that the qualification to Paris 2024 in at stake, but at the end of the days we’re all Climbing, and whoever wins, wins,” he concluded.

Just 0.7 points behind Cosser, Mel Janse Van Rensburg, also representing South Africa, took second place with 199.2 points; while 16-year-old Nicholas Allan placed third with 169.2.

For the complete results of the men’s Boulder & Lead semi-final click here.

Day two at the IFSC African Qualifier Pretoria 2023 will conclude tonight, 8 December, with the women’s Boulder & Lead final, starting at 20:20 (UTC+2:00) and awarding an Olympic slot to the gold medallist of the event.

A detailed schedule of the event is available on the dedicated event page. All semi-finals and finals, plus Speed qualifications, will be live streamed on the IFSC YouTube channel. 

News and updates about the event will be available on the IFSC website, and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Douyin and Weibo.