The 2022 IFSC World Cup Speed and Lead Calendars have now concluded, and CEC athletes in these disciplines have continued the momentum built in the boulder season.
SPEED Season Recap
Our small but dedicated speed team was able to show consistency and progress in 2022. The Canadian Men’s Record was broken twice during the season and all WC athletes produced Personal Records (PR).
- Michael Finn-Henry – 5.69s (PR, Canadian Record, Chamonix)
- Ethan Pitcher – 5.78s (PR, Edinburgh)
- Dylan Le – 6.22s (PR, Dallas)
- Erica Velev – 8.15s (PR, Chamonix)
The Speed season started in Seoul on May 6. The lone Canadian entry, Dylan Le, managed a 21st place finish and got the ball rolling.
The next 2 speed events in Salt Lake City saw Ethan Pitcher join Dylan and raise the bar with back-to-back top 15 finishes (14th, 15th) and the first sub 6 second clocking of the WC season for a Canadian. Dylan backed up his Seoul result with a 30th place in the d second SLC event.
The team gained 2 athletes for Villars and Chamonix. Michael Finn-Henry and Erica Velev added their experience to the mix. In Villars, Michael and Ethan both ran sub 6s to finish 31st and 32nd. Dylan equaled his time from Salt Lake City to finish 54th and Erica grabbed a solid first event of the season 37th place.
In Chamonix, Michael set a new Canadian record of 5.69s to finish 20th in the deepest field of the year. Ethan was right behind in 24th and Dylan equaled his 54th from Villars. Erica set a PR with a clocking of 8.15s to finish a solid 24th.
The last 2 Speed WCs in Edinburgh and Jakarta saw mixed results for Canadians. Ethan appeared to relish the Scottish vibe with a season high 11th place finish while Michael finished 18th, narrowly missing the round of 16. As for the Jakarta WC, we saw an uncharacteristic performance from Michael in 46th and a season best 21st for Erica.
LEAD Season Recap
2022 turned out to be a banner year with regular appearances in the semi-finals by Canadian athletes.
Innsbruck hosted the first Lead WC of 2022 and Canada came out swinging. Alannah Yip followed up her strong Boulder Season with a semi-final appearance finishing 25th and Victor Baudrand narrowly missed the semi finishing 29th. Oscar Baudrand was not far behind in 37th.
A quick hop to Villars in Switzerland saw Victor Baudrand take the reins for Canada to finish 22nd. Alannah finished 27th, a heart-breaking single spot out of semis.
Chamonix was next, one of the marquis locations and events on the calendar. Although no Canadians were able to crack the top 26 and progress to semis, results were still moving in the right direction. Alannah stayed consistent at 31 and Babette Roy became the second Canadian female to crack the top 50 with a strong 45th.
The second French Lead stop in Briancon saw a Canadian return to the semis with Oscar Baudrand reaching that round for the first time in 2022 and finishing a solid 22nd to equal his brother’s result in Villars. Rebecca Frangos made her first 2022 foray into the top 50 with a 46th and Babette Roy made it two in a row top 50 tied with Becca. Alongside Alannah in 39th, it made 3 Canadian Women in the top 50 at the same event.
After a short break in August, the Lead season resumed in Koper, Slovenia at a new venue. Oscar Baudrand kept his momentum from Briancon and the YWC in Dallas to make his second traight semi-final finishing 20th. Alannah Yip also climbed into the semis marking the first 2022 event with both men and women in semis. Alannah would go on to finish 21st.
A quick trip to Edinburgh for the next stop and Victor Baudrand was back on form. He climbed well to earn his second semi-final berth in 2022. He would climb free in the semi to a 24th place finish.
The last lead WC of 2022 was another new stop in Jakarta, Indonesia. This proved the modicum “best for last” as Canadians climbed the tables in the heat. Alannah Yip finished a season best 13th and secured a top 30 World Ranking for the season. Chloe Earle, in only her second senior World Cup, made the semi and finished 25th. This marked the first time 2 Canadian female athletes have made a WC Lead semi-final in the same event. On the men’s side, Oscar Baudrand also produced a season best with his 15th place finish. Victor had unfortunately suffered an ankle sprain only days before Jakarta and did well just to compete.
Statistics
As with bouldering, one of the prime team objectives for 2022 was to secure extra quota through top 40 World Rankings.
CEC Athletes Securing Extra Quota for 2023 – Speed, Lead
- Ethan Pitcher (S) – WR 25
- Michael Finn-Henry (S) – WR 40
- Alannah Yip (L) – WR 24
- Oscar Baudrand (L) – WR 34
- Erica Velev (S) – 37
CEC quota for Speed/ Lead World Cups in 2023:
Speed
- Base Quota: 2M + 2W
- Extra Quota: 2M + 1W
- Total: 4M + 3W
Lead
- Base Quota: 2M + 2W
- Extra Quota: 1M + 1W
- Total: 3M + 3W
Other Speed & Lead season stats:
Season Round of 16/ Semi-Finalists
- Ethan Pitcher (3) – SLC x 2, Edinburgh
- Alannah Yip (3) – Innsbruck, Koper, Jakarta
- Chloe Earle (1) – Jakarta
- Oscar Baudrand (3) – Briancon, Koper, Jakarta
- Victor Baudrand (2) – Villars, Edinburgh
Country Rank Speed/ Lead
Speed
- Men – 12th
- Women – 15th
- Overall – 14th
Lead
- Men – 13th
- Women – 12th
- Overall – 12th
Notable 2022 Canadian WC Season Stats
- Total Top 15 Results: 10 – Most ever in single WC season
- Total WC Round of 16/ Semi-Finals Results: 17
- Unique Athletes reaching Round of 16/ Semi-Final: 8 – Most ever in single WC season
- Athletes in multiple Round of 16s/ Semi-Finals same season: 4
- Athletes in Top 40 of WR: – Most ever in single WC season
See the full Team Canada Results here: HP Results – Climbing Escalade Canada (climbingcanada.ca)
