This past weekend, 18 Team USA athletes competed on home turf in Salt Lake City, Utah for the IFSC Climbing World Cup. Hosted at USA Climbing’s National Training Center, which serves as the go-to training location for much of Team USA, athletes traveled from 28 countries and territories across four continents. It was the first World Cup of the season held in North America, welcoming an ecstatic crowd of more than 3,500 spectators.

Sanders Claims 2nd Bronze This Season 

10 women represented Team USA at the IFSC World Cup Salt Lake City 2025, with Annie Sanders advancing to Finals. Following Sanders in Semi-Finals were Helen Gillett, Kyra Condie, and Cloe Coscoy. 

Annie Sanders advanced to Finals after topping every climb in Semi-Finals. Once in Finals, she quickly flashed W1, executing a smooth swing into a compression move before settling into a full split. With the crowd roaring behind her, Sanders spent two whole minutes on the wall, noting the crowd’s enthusiasm in a post-competition interview.

“The crowd was insane today,” said Sanders after her win. “They definitely brought a lot of energy and I’m super grateful for this sport!”

Sanders also earned a flash on W2, executing the crux foot-switch perfectly, staying composed and focused the entire time. Although her streak of flashes ended there, Sanders went into another full split on W3 before successfully crimping a thumb catch—again captivating the audience. Sanders, Zélia Avezou of France, and Oriane Bertone of France all tied with a score of 70.0 points, separated only by their performances earlier in the competition.

Women’s Podium:
Mao Nakamura (JPN)
Zélia Avezou (FRA)
Annie Sanders (USA)

Gillett Achieves Personal Best at a World Cup

Competing in Semi-Finals were Helen Gillett, Kyra Condie, and Cloe Coscoy. Gillett has fewer World Cup appearances than her fellow competitors, with her debut on the world stage being in 2023. Since then, Gillett has placed consistently in Qualification rounds and achieved her first Semi-Final in Curitiba just a few weeks ago. This weekend, Gillett achieved a standout performance in the Qualification round.

“I got zone on the last boulder, which was also a slab, and that zone is what put me into the Semi-Final. I’m really excited. Brazil was my first Semi-Final, and I was definitely feeling the pressure. I didn’t feel very light-hearted, and I’m feeling much more present and ready to go here. So, yeah, I’m excited to throw it down and climb how I know I can,” Gillett said after finding out she made Semi-Finals.

This time, her flash of W1 in the Semi-Final round, combined with judges granting her a second chance at W3 after a judging error, set the stage for Finals. Unfortunately, although Gillett had the same score as the athlete who took 8th place, the tie was broken according to the athlete’s Qualification scores, which bumped Gillett out of her potential first World Cup Finals. Despite the tie-break, Gillett achieved her best World Cup result to date and finished Semi-Finals in 9th.

Meanwhile, Kyra Condie placed 15th, with her most notable performance being on W1 where she secured a flash after nearly slipping on the second to last hold. Cloe Coscoy trailed just behind Condie in 18th, falling off the last hold of W2 but finishing W1 on her fourth attempt after using the edge of a sloped volume as an intermediate.

Also representing the USA in the Qualification round were Quinn Mason in 25th and Nekaia Sanders in 29th. Notably, Adriene Akiko Clark and Nekaia Sanders tied for 29th. Meanwhile, Maya Madere and Ella Fisher scored back to back in 39th and 40th, respectively. Finally, Paloma Slowik placed 36th in her first-ever World Cup appearance.

Duffy Astonishes Hometown Crowd in First Finals of the Season

8 men represented Team USA at the IFSC World Cup Salt Lake City 2025, with Colin Duffy advancing to Finals and Adam Shahar advancing to Semi-Finals. 

Colin Duffy found himself in his first Finals of the season, with this performance being his third World Cup since his Olympic debut in 2024. Just shy of the podium, Duffy placed 4th after two well-executed tops in the Final. In fact, he was one of only two Finalists (the other being Sohta Amagasa of Korea) to top M1, setting a good tone for the round. The crowd erupted as Duffy Houdini matched, rapidly swapping one hand for another in a coordinated execution, on both M1 and M2. Duffy finished the round with 59.6 points and excitement for future competitions.

“It was incredible to have the home crowd advantage,” said Duffy after competing. “I got to feed off that energy and had a great round.”

Adam Shahar also competed in Semi-Finals finishing in 23rd, with this being his first World Cup of the season. Shahar fought until the buzzer on every climb, giving everything he had on each attempt.

Also representing the USA in the Qualification round was Alexander Waller in 27th, Benjamin Hanna in 39th, Cozmo Rothfork in 45th (his first-ever World Cup appearance), Vail Everett in 49th, and Joshua Gerhardt and Isaac Leff, who both tied for 53rd.

IFSC Climbing World Cup Salt Lake City 2025 Team Ranking:
Japan (JPN)
France (FRA)
United States (USA)

You can rewatch the IFSC World Cup Salt Lake City 2025 on the IFSC YouTube Channel.

Follow @usaclimbing on social media for competition updates and behind-the-scenes action.