Colin Duffy of the USA secured first place in a closely contested men’s Boulder semi-final at the World Climbing Series Comunidad de Madrid 2026, finishing with 84.6 points to lead the eight climbers advancing to the medal round.

Duffy topped the first three boulders of the round, including a flash on M3, and was the only athlete to solve M2, giving him a clear advantage over the rest of the field despite a tightly packed leaderboard.

Speaking after the round, Duffy said: “It was a crazy round. I was excited to see the coordination boulder first. I was able to get into my flow pretty fast. I fought with that boulder for a few attempts. I feel like I learned a lot on each attempt and was able to get it done.”

The American also highlighted the confidence he has gained from recent performances.

“I’m very happy with my execution. Honestly, I wasn’t sure about my shape going into Bern. The last month was pretty busy, everything came up really fast," he said.

“In Bern I also executed very well. The final was tough, but I had a little bit of rest this week and now I feel like I have something more to give.”

MARGINS OF TENTHS SEPARATE THE FIELD

Behind Duffy, just 0.3 points separated second place from fifth.

Samuel Richard of France finished second with 69.6 points, narrowly ahead of Anraku Sorato of Japan in third with 69.5. Dayan Akhtar of Great Britain followed in fourth with 69.4, while Oscar Baudrand of Canada completed the top five on 69.3.

The razor-thin margins highlighted the competitiveness of the semi-final, with every attempt proving decisive in the race for a place in the top-eight.

FIRST-TIME FINALISTS MAKE THEIR MARK

Baudrand’s fifth-place finish secured the first Boulder Series final of his career, continuing a breakthrough event for the Canadian climber after he reached his second career semi-final earlier.

Joining him in a maiden final appearance is home favourite Guillermo Peinado Franganillo of Spain. The 20-year-old delighted the local crowd by advancing to the medal round for the first time at senior international level.

Dohi Keita of Japan also progressed, reaching his first Boulder final since Seoul 2022, while Lee Dohyun of South Korea completed the finalist lineup. The South Korean athlete won silver at the season-opening World Climbing Series event in Keqiao, China, and will look to return to the podium.

NEXT UP

The men's Boulder final is going to close the programme on day three, starting at 19:00 (UTC+2:00).

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