Chamonix, France, hosted its 23rd IFSC Climbing World Cup this weekend, featuring a stacked lineup of some of Team USA’s best and most experienced athletes, including Olympians Brooke Raboutou, Sam Watson, Zach Hammer, Colin Duffy, Jesse Grupper, Emma Hunt, and Piper Kelly. In total, 18 Team USA athletes competed at this event among the 204 athletes from 43 countries and territories. The fourth Lead World Cup and fifth Speed World Cup of the season took place at the base of Mont Blanc, the highest summit in the French Alps. The crowd packed into the venue for every event, with most spectators sprawled on the ground or settled into camping chairs.

Both Colin Duffy and Sam Watson returned to the Chamonix podium after winning gold at last year’s event. Meanwhile, this was Brooke Raboutou’s first World Cup appearance since winning silver in Boulder and Lead at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Overall, seven Team USA athletes advanced to finals: Brooke Raboutou, Annie Sanders, Emma Hunt, Isis Rothfork, Sam Watson, Zach Hammer, Colin Duffy, and Jesse Grupper.

Watson Defends Chamonix Title With Another Gold

Redeeming himself from a false start at Krakow last weekend, Olympian Sam Watson took gold in finals. His stunning qualification and semi-final performances set the stage for his gold medal race, which left him only 0.1 seconds off his personal best of 4.64. In an interview recapping the day, Watson couldn’t have been more passionate about the experience, calling Chamonix the “crown jewel” of the World Cup circuit.

“The funny thing is that a 4.65 with a 1.90 reaction time — legally, I could have gone 0.09 faster and gotten the world record,” Watson said. “But it’s quite poetic considering my false start at the last one and my slow and cautious reaction times this comp. But records will fall in the future, and I’m happy to be on the top step of the podium.”

Meanwhile, fellow Olympian Zach Hammer earned his first bronze with a time of 4.96 in the bronze medal race. In all of his races, Hammer appeared significantly ahead of his opponents from the qualification rounds through to finals. This performance left Team USA filling the podium. Also notable is that Hammer and Watson had back-to-back times throughout the competition. In the qualification round during the Lane A race, Hammer clocked 4.945 seconds, just 0.1 seconds behind Watson’s 4.924. The same pattern continued into finals, with the pair’s last runs separated by only 0.31 seconds.

Also representing Team USA in the qualification round was Logan Schlecht, finishing 34th with his fastest time clocked at 5.311. Noah Bratschi followed in 44th, with a best time of 5.534 after slips in both races cost him valuable milliseconds. Merritt Ernsberger placed 45th with his fastest time being 5.569, and finally, Michael Hom finished 75th after suffering a false start while racing Watson. Hom’s time in his next run was 5.121 seconds.

Hunt Breaks Pan-American Record, Secures Bronze

Olympian Emma Hunt delivered another impressive performance, this time winning bronze and setting a new Pan-American record of 6.25 seconds during finals. In the qualification round, Hunt raced against teammate Madi Walsh with a time of 6.58 seconds. She posted the exact same time in the following round before ramping things up in finals to achieve not only a new Pan-American record but a new personal best as well. The closest Hunt had come before was 6.36 seconds. During her bronze medal race, Hunt slipped but still edged out her opponent by a fraction of a second. Hunt’s final time was clocked at 6.35, with her opponent following at 6.36. The last time Hunt earned bronze was at the IFSC Climbing World Cup in Edinburgh in 2022, which at the time was only her eighth World Cup.

Also competing in finals was Isis Rothfork, who narrowly defeated her opponent in the qualification round by just 0.01 seconds after racing neck-and-neck up the wall. Her time of 7.01 marked a new personal best, landing her in 12th place overall. Rothfork, who was disappointed with her performance at Krakow, hoped that a different mindset would change her outcome at Chamonix.

“I changed how I was thinking, not how I was climbing,” Rothfork said in an interview.

In finals, Rothfork had a slower start out of the gate but persevered, finishing with a time of 7.43 seconds.

Also representing Team USA in the qualification round was Olympian Piper Kelly in 23rd place, with her fastest time at 7.232 seconds. A few spots behind was Sophia Curcio in 31st place with a time of 7.72, followed by Madi Walsh, who raced against Hunt in 34th with a time of 7.67. Finally, Emiko Takeuchi finished 40th, clocking her fastest time at 7.82 seconds.

Sanders Takes Silver With One Move

Annie Sanders took Silver in a tense finals round where every athlete on the podium finished only one point away from each other. With her last bit of energy, Sanders jumped from bronze to silver after successfully moving off a crimp before falling in positive motion towards her next hold. Sanders finished with a score of 43+, while the gold medalist finished with 44+. This is Sanders’ first silver in Lead, proving her abilities as a powerhouse for Team USA. Her incredible endurance allowed her to complete the same sequences as her competitors — just in a slower, more calculated fashion. At one point during finals, Sanders wasn’t even halfway done with the route with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left, showing how much she thinks through every move. Additionally, Sanders was the only athlete in the entire competition to top a route in semi-finals, as well as being first in the qualification round against 79 other athletes.

Olympian Brooke Raboutou followed close behind, just missing the podium in fourth place. At two inches shorter than Sanders, Raboutou had to stretch for several key moves during semi-finals. Still, she managed to rest in a full split mid-route, impressing the crowd before showcasing impressive control in finals. Raboutou finished with a score of 40+ in her return to the World Cup circuit.

Also representing Team USA in the qualification round was Adriene Akiko Clark, who finished 32nd with a score of 30.22, and Quinn Mason in 62nd with a score of 61.74.

Duffy’s Unique Climbing Style Shines in Semi-Final

Olympian Colin Duffy had multiple stand-out moves throughout both semi-finals and finals, amazing the crowd after an original placement of 12th in the qualification round. In semi-finals, Duffy flexed by almost hooking his two fingers in an outward facing hand-jam between two volumes. This move shocked the audience, as most other athletes had used traditional beta when approaching the same move. With this, Duffy jumped to fourth before eventually finishing in fifth during finals after cruising through a campus move to a crimp, then crossing through a rose move to a pocket before flipping 360 degrees to stay square against the wall. That move alone would have been impressive, but Duffy followed it with a rest in a two-finger pocket.

Also competing in the Semi-Final round was Olympian Jesse Grupper, who at one point was resting and clipping while having both heels hooked onto two slopers.

Also representing Team USA in the qualification round was Sergey Lakhno, who finished 43rd with a score of 39.57.

Full results from the IFSC Climbing World Cup Chamonix 2025 can be found here. You can rewatch the finals on the IFSC YouTube Channel.

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