Climbing · Worth knowing

Dohyun Lee just reset the men's podium math.

The Korean climber won the Koper men's lead final with a dominant 3.0 score, widening daylight between himself and Japan's Neo Suzuki and France's Sam Avezou, who tied at 3.74 [Quelle: World Climbing]. The 71-strong field included another strong showing from Japan's Sorato Anraku (4.9) and last week's back-to-back champion Alberto Ginés López (4.95)—signaling that Ginés's momentum has flattened in just seven days. The men's lead circuit is tightening; margin of victory matters less than who trends upward into the series final.

Leo's positioning could reshape which climber enters the final leg holding the ranking lead.

Ukraine's Rafael Kazbekova just rewrote her rookie script.

Competing in her debut World Series season, Kazbekova achieved a career-best result in Koper while racing alongside her older sister Ievgeniia—a rare parallel-family moment in elite climbing [Quelle: World Climbing]. What shifted: she stopped hunting results and started climbing for pure rhythm on route two, a mental reframe she's calling the strongest effort of her entire season. That swing—from outcome-focused to process-focused in real time—is the kind of psychological unlock that early-career athletes rarely nail on their own. She's learning fast.

First seasons that unlock mental clarity often forecast the athletes who stay on the circuit long-term.