Anraku and Schalck were the only climbers who could top all four of the semi-final boulders to secure the top two spots, but it was the Japanese Olympic medallist who gained the advantage with less attempts.

In a competition where countback can come into play, every position in every round matters, so it was Anraku who holds the cards due to his 99.6pts for first over Schalck’s 99.2pts in second.

Up against the young guns in the final will be seasoned performer Tomoa Narasaki, and the Japanese climber is well aware of the competition style and his need to keep up with his counterparts: “On the first boulder my performance was so bad, but the others were good. I like crimps so the second was probably my favourite. I’m constantly trying to hone my skills.”

Japan isn’t the only country with two athletes in the final, both South Korea and the home nation China have multiple chances for a podium.

World Cup gold medallists Dohyun Lee and Yufei Pan were fourth and fifth respectively, and they are joined by the comeback climber Jongwon Chon and China’s Xuanpu Bai.

South Korean Chon found a spot on the team hard to come by last season, but in his first comp of 2026 is showing everyone what they were missing.

For Bai, this will be his first final in only his second competition at this level, with his first in Keqiao last year.

Sandwiched between the Asian climbers is Hannes Van Duysen, and the Belgian climber is just happy to be back on the mats competing at this level: “I’m happy to be in the final because during the off season I had an injury, I had a surgery and didn’t climb for like three months, so it’s only been about two months that I have been back climbing.

“I had elbow surgery so I couldn’t climb at all. It’s amazing that I’ve made a final. I did so much work to get back into shape. It was really hard; it was a mental battle.”

Talking about his semi-final specifically Van Duysen said: “I took a nasty fall but I’m fine. I enjoyed the round. I climbed well, could have been better you know, but good enough so I am happy.”

With the level of Anraku and Schalck in the semi, and the likes of Narasaki and Lee in the line-up, Van Duysen will have to be at his best in what is sure to be a hot fight for the first medals of the season for the men.

RESULTS

Click here for the full results

UP NEXT

The men will close the World Climbing Series Keqiao 2026 with their final later today. The final round will be live streamed on the World Climbing YouTube channel, with geo-blocking applied to selected countries and territories.

For an overview of where to watch the event click here.

News and updates will be available on the World Climbing website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Bilibili, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.