Smith’s Ballpark came alive October 16–18 as 8,500 spectators filled the stands throughout the weekend for the final Boulder competition of the 2026 World Climbing Series.

With the competition walls rising from the baseball infield and the Wasatch Mountains providing a beautiful backdrop, the former home of the Salt Lake Bees became an international climbing arena unlike any other. Fans brought the energy throughout three days of competition, cheering on Team USA and the world’s best climbers as they battled for podium finishes and season titles.

For Team USA, the weekend featured seven semifinal appearances and an impressive conclusion to Annie Sanders’ Boulder season, with Sanders finishing third in the overall 2026 standings.

Sanders Caps Standout Season with Third Overall

Annie Sanders entered the final Boulder competition of the year in contention for the overall women’s series title, alongside Great Britain’s Erin McNeice and Australia’s Oce Mackenzie.

After advancing through qualification, Sanders delivered the fourth-best score in Sunday’s semifinal, earning a place in the final in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

When asked about the crowd, Sanders replied “I think it’s pretty cool. Yeah, the crowd was super supportive, especially on the last boulder. Once I grabbed the number 10 hold, they were going insane. So yeah, I was pretty high from the reaction.”

Facing a challenging final round, Sanders topped one route and finished seventh. While the result left her off the event podium, it capped a breakout 2026 campaign that included gold medals in Prague and Innsbruck and third place in the overall Boulder Series standings.

McNeice ultimately secured the season title, followed by Mackenzie in second and Sanders in third.

Sanders is also atop the women’s Lead rankings, with the season finale set for Santiago, Chile on October 23–25.

Narrow Margins Define Team USA’s Semifinal Performances

American athletes delivered strong performances throughout the weekend, with five women and two men advancing to the semifinal rounds.

On the men’s side, Auggie Chi made an early statement, leading his qualification group to advance into Saturday’s semifinal alongside two-time Olympian Colin Duffy. In a tightly contested semifinal, Duffy narrowly missed the final, finishing 13th, just 0.5 points outside the cutoff. Chi finished 20th after his impressive opening-round performance.

The women’s competition saw Sanders joined in the semifinal by Melina Costanza, Cloe Coscoy, Nekaia Sanders, and Adriene Akiko Clark.

Costanza came especially close to joining Sanders in the final, finishing ninth overall, one position shy of advancing.

A Ballpark Transformed, A Crowd to Remember

Beyond the competition, Smith’s Ballpark provided a new stage for international climbing, welcoming 8,500 spectators across the three-day event. For athletes, competing in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd added to the excitement of an already high-stakes weekend.

“The fans are so engaged and excited, and I met a few people who flew in from out of town to see this,” said Team USA’s Nekaia Sanders in an interview with KSL News.

For USA Climbing, the event represented another opportunity to introduce new audiences to the sport and showcase the excitement of competitive climbing here in the U.S.

The World Climbing Series now heads to Santiago, Chile, October 23–25, for the final Lead and Speed competitions of 2026.

Full results from the World Climbing Series Salt Lake City 2026 can be found here. You can rewatch the all the action on World Climbing’s YouTube channel. Follow @usaclimbing on social media for competition updates and behind-the-scenes content.