Coxsey Takes First at La Sportiva Legends Only 2017
The 24-year-old British climber took the top prize at the competition's seventh annual installment.
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Another year, another six competitors, another La Sportiva Legends Only bouldering competition in the books. This time around, 24-year-old British climber Shauna Coxsey was the most legendary of all.
This past weekend was the seventh annual installment of the competition, which debuted in 2011. In recent years, the event has alternated each year by gender. South Korea’s Chon Jongwon beat out five other men in 2016, so this year six of the premier women boulderers duked it out in the Klättercentret in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 25.
Coxsey’s five fellow competitors were Petra Klingler, 25, of Switzerland; Mélissa Le Nevé, 28, of France; Fanny Gibert, 24, also of France; Staša Gejo, 19, of Serbia; and Katja Kadić, 22, of Slovenia.
In an email to Rock and Ice, Coxsey writes, “The La Sportiva Legends Only comp was absolutely incredible. The team behind the event did an excellent job. The wall looked amazing. The boulders were so good, perfectly varied in style to ensure we were tested in every way. Power, finesse, balance and grit were all required to top the blocks.”
A post shared by SHAUNA COXSEY (@shaunacoxsey) on
The scoring was close—it was not abundantly clear who won at the conclusion of the event—but in the end, the math worked out in Coxsey’s favor. She topped three of the problems in three attempts, slightly besting Gejo, who had the same number of tops and reached the same number of bonus holds.
Legends Only boasts a unique format among most high-level bouldering competitions. Competitors are afforded the opportunity to preview and session the boulder problems prior to the competition itself. This year, an added twist was the ability to preview only four or the five problems, leaving one a question mark. During the competition, the climbers had three chances to send each problem during the competition.
The winners of the previous six La Sportiva Legends Only competitions are Adam Ondra (2011, 2014), Sean McColl (2012), Jimmy Webb (2013), Janja Garnbret (2015) and Chon Jongwon (2016).
The full results of the 2017 competition were:
- Shauna Coxsey
- Staša Gejo
- Petra Klingler
- Fanny Gibert
- Mélissa Le Nevé
- Katja Kadić
Watch the full replay below: