Against the idyllic backdrop of Koper’s Adriatic coast with temperatures climbing above 90 degrees, Team USA’s Brooke Raboutou made an emotional return to the Lead podium, earning silver at the World Climbing Series on September 5 in Slovenia. Annie Sanders continued her remarkably consistent season with a fourth-place finish, narrowly missing her second consecutive Koper podium.

Five U.S. athletes advanced to the semifinal round across the two days, with Ella Fisher, Jesse Grupper and Dillon Countryman also representing Team USA.

Raboutou Returns to the Podium

Competing in just her second Lead event of the season, Raboutou steadily built momentum throughout the weekend. She advanced to the final in fourth place after reaching hold 44+ in the semifinal.

The final brought difficult conditions, with heavy humidity creating low-friction holds across the route. Raboutou responded with an aggressive and confident climb, reaching hold 33 to take silver.

“It was a pretty wild final. It was so humid, and the lights went out in isolation, so there were just a lot of things going on,” Raboutou said. “I approached the climb wanting to just be like, ‘No fear, just go for it.’ I wanted to climb really confidently and keep moving, and I’m really happy with my execution, continuing to believe every move even when the friction felt horrible.”

Raboutou said she still felt physically capable of climbing farther but was unable to maintain her grip on one of the route’s final open-handed holds.

“It literally felt wet, and so I feel like I wet-fired,” Raboutou said. “Physically, I feel like I had a bit more to give, but I’m also really happy with my climbing.”

The silver medal carries added significance following a challenging return from the shoulder injury Raboutou suffered earlier this season. Raboutou revealed that she tore her labrum at the World Climbing Series Bern in May and returned to Lead competition in July with a ninth-place finish in Chamonix.

Koper marked her first podium since the injury and her first Lead medal since taking bronze in Madrid in 2025.

“I cried after, honestly. I was way more emotional than I thought I would be,” Raboutou said. “The past few months have been really, really hard. I tore my labrum at the World Cup in Bern, and it’s definitely been the biggest injury I’ve ever had. There was so much physical instability and weird sensations, and especially so much doubt.”

The result also marked Raboutou’s second career podium in Koper, four years after earning bronze at the event in 2022.

“It just feels emotional to have all that doubt and then come back to a place I guess I’ve been before, but with such a different mentality,” Raboutou said. “I’m really proud of how I’ve handled the past few months and how much mental resilience it’s built. It makes me want to keep believing and keep going.”

Sanders Continues Standout Season

Sanders entered Koper following one of the strongest stretches of competition climbing in Team USA history. She has finished fourth or better at every World Climbing Series event she has entered in 2026, earning four victories across Boulder and Lead.

After finishing near the top of the qualification standings, Sanders reached hold 44 in the semifinal to advance to the final in fifth place.

In the final, Sanders climbed confidently through the lower and middle sections of the route before narrowly undershooting a hold. Her score of 32+ matched the third-place finisher Chaehyun Seo, but the podium position was decided by countback to the semifinal round.

“I think it went really well up until the point where I fell,” Sanders said. “I felt really good. I felt really fit on it. I honestly wasn’t even tired when I fell; I just undershot the hold a little bit.”

The fourth-place result continues an outstanding season for Sanders. She has earned Lead victories in Wujiang, Prague and Chamonix, along with a Lead silver in Innsbruck. She has also collected two Boulder victories and a bronze medal across the 2026 World Climbing Series.

When asked what has contributed to that consistency, Sanders pointed to experience and preparation.

“Probably just the experience, getting used to these styles of routes, and staying consistent with the training,” Sanders said.

The result came two years after Sanders earned bronze in Koper, the first Lead World Climbing Series podium of her career.

Three More Americans Reach Semifinals

Fisher joined Raboutou and Sanders in the Women’s Lead semifinal after securing the 24th and final qualification position. She climbed to hold 36 in the semifinal to finish 17th overall.

On the men’s side, Grupper came within three places of advancing to the final. He reached hold 29+ in the semifinal and finished 11th, leading the U.S. men in Koper.

Countryman also advanced through qualifications and finished 23rd in the semifinal. The appearance marked his second World Climbing Series semifinal of the 2026 season.

Full results from the World Climbing Series Koper can be found here. The competition can be rewatched on the World Climbing YouTube channel.

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