Women's Lead final

MORI AI (JPN) - women's Lead gold medallist
"I thought that Jessica [Pilz] maybe got a top so I was a very nervous, but I looked out and saw the big crowd, and that big crowd pushed my performance. When I got the top I was very happy. I’ll go back to Japan now and then it’s straight to the Olympics, and I’ll do my best there."

Jessica PILZ (AUT) - women's Lead silver medallist
"I’m super happy to be on the podium but it’s a bit annoying that we couldn’t have a really good fight in finals. I feel the route was a bit easy. I like to have a good fight. I would rather not top and have a good fight. 
 
I’ll go back to Innsbruck now for training ahead of the Olympics. I feel my Lead shape is good so I’m happy about that, but Boulder, sometimes it works out well and sometimes not. I still have a lot of weaknesses in Boulder and I will try to be in my best shape. I have two more weeks to train heard and then we will see if it works." 

Men's Lead final
 
Colin DUFFY (USA) - men's Lead gold medallist 
"It feels amazing to get my second Lead World Cup gold. It’s been an incredible journey these past few years doing the World Cup circuit and finding another special moment on the wall. In qualification I didn’t feel the greatest on the wall, but I put that out of my mind and have a good climb in the final. And the crowd here is incredible.
 
It’s a perfect way to cap off my last competition before the Olympics. I’ve been training hard all year and to see I’m in the form I want to be is phenomenal and I’m going to stay here in France and train before Paris and I want to show my best there."
 
Sam AVEZOU (FRA) - men's Lead silver medallist  
"I’m feeling super good. Always in Chamonix I feel this way. The French crowd is exceptional, and I have my family and friends here so it’s always fun to climb here. I’m in a very good lead shape as well as Boulder so I wanted to get confident and do the best I could. I thought I could get a medal and I came so close to the gold, like one move away, but it’s still super good."
 
Toby ROBERTS (GBR) - men's Lead bronze medallist  
"I feel really good after the final. It was a bit of a strange route as it wasn’t that hard until the head wall and then it really kicked in, but I’m happy with my shape and I really enjoy competing here in Chamonix. I was a bit hesitant on the head wall and I think if I didn’t I would have had a good chance of topping the route. When you hesitate it never ends well."

Men's Lead semi-final

Alberto GINÉS LÓPEZ (ESP)
“I didn’t climb my best; I was a bit nervous. I was talking with Sam [Avezou] and Adam [Ondra] and we thought the route would be a bit harder at the beginning. It was a bit like a combined route. A bit easier in the beginning and then from the half to the top it gets harder, that is nice for me because you get super pumped, and this is what Lead is supposed to do to you.”

Talking about his injury: “It's nothing serious because I have been dealing with a problem for about four months now, it’s just a bit annoying. It’s many things wrong in my big toe. Many, many things. But it will be fine.”

Women's Lead semi-final

**Flora OBLASSER (AUT)
**“I’m so happy and I can’t explain what I am feeling right now. There are too many emotions, I just made my first World Cup final! The crowds in Chamonix are huge. Innsbruck is my home World Cup and crowd, and it’s just as crazy here. I’m 16, it’s my first final, I’m going to give it my all now. All or nothing.”

Women’s Speed final

ZHANG Shaoqin (CHN) - women's Speed gold medallist
"First of all, I’m so happy. I broke my personal best. I really like this place, it’s my happy place."

Natalia KALUCKA (POL) - women's Speed silver medallist
"I’m happy because it’s my first medal in Chamonix and I am proud of myself. Not getting that Olympic ticket means now I don’t really have my goals set so I will go to Briançon as I don’t have many competitions left this year. I’ll be in Paris though to support my sister and do some work with the Polish Federation."

Men's Speed final

Sam WATSON (USA) - men's Speed gold medallist
"I feel great. I kind of had a Chamonix curse where I didn’t do well for the past two years, my worst comp of the year, but then to come back in my last event before the Olympics and get a win, my third win, in front of all these people that came out was just one of the best experiences as a climber.

"I’ve been working on my consistency with a boring two months training, well boring is not the right word, but tedious training cycle where I tried to work hard every day and I was looking forward to this trip so much. Having consistent 4.8’s and near the world record is a dream for sure and shows I am in the right place."

Erik NOYA CARDONA (ESP) - men's Speed bronze medallist
"It’s my second medal in Chamonix. This place has a lot of meaning for me, this is the competition I like the most. After I didn’t qualify for the Olympics it was hard for me so being back on the podium, trusting myself, gaining some confidence, breaking my record, it was huge for me. It was something unexpected but something I really needed. It is really a push for me, for Spain, and I am really happy about this and I will go and party a bit today – I think I deserve it."

Women's Lead qualification

**Julia CHANOURDIE (FRA)
**“I was injured just after the Olympics, so it’s not been an easy period for me. I totally lost the pleasure of climbing so it was not easy to be happy to compete. I tried to climb outside and find the love, but it’s been a tough three years.

“I hurt many things. My fingers. Pulley injury. My shoulder. My knee. Many injuries and just a bad sequence and period of injuries. I’m happy now though as I’ve tried to do other things and take a step back and figure out what I wanted to do, and that was climb and compete again. And that is why I am here.”

“It was not easy for me because in the first route I fell at the first jump at the fourth quickdraw, so it was then really hard to be ready for the second route. I tried to relax and enjoy the second but it’s still difficult for me again this year to be in my best shape.”

Men's Lead qualification

**Timo UZNIK (AUT)
**“It’s my first time in Chamonix. It’s a really nice place. Legendary. It’s my first World Cup outside of my home one in Innsbruck. I really enjoyed the qualification and I think I climbed to my maximum. I put up two great fights and I hope it will be enough for semi-finals.”