The IFSC African Championships in Cape Town (RSA) — final competition of a diminished 2020 IFSC season — closed in great style, as South Africa’s 20-year-old Christopher Cosser snatched the Olympic quota place at the end of a neck-and-neck battle against his teammate Chris Naude.

After the two climbers took the top 2 positions in the Speed stage, Naude grabbed the lead with a strong Boulder performance — 2 tops, 3 zones — while Cosser only finished with 1 top and 2 zones. In the decisive Lead stage, Cosser climbed last, eventually topping the route and definitely moving in 1st position with 4.0 ranking points.

Daivd Naude — who participated in the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 — took Silver with 6.0, Calrin Curtis finished in 3rd place with 24.0.

The final ranking of the men’s Combined at the 2020 IFSC Africa Championships in Cape Town is as follows:

1. Christopher Cosser (RSA) 4.0 ranking points
2. David Naude (RSA) 6.0
3. Calrin Curtis (RSA) 24.0
4. Oliver Marx (RSA) 48.0
5. James Barnes (RSA) 105.0
6. Tony Flynn (RSA) 150.0
7. Christopher Wallace (RSA) 294.0
8. Matthew Grunewald (RSA) 512.0

The field of Olympic qualified athletes in Sport Climbing now stands at 38 — 19 men and 19 women.

2020 IFSC African Championships

For the original IFSC article, click here.

The women’s Combined finals of the IFSC African Championships in Cape Town (RSA) crowned South Africa’s Erin Sterkenburg as the continental champion, awarding her with the coveted Olympic quota place for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Competing in the third IFSC competition of her career after the 2018 and 2019 IFSC Youth World Championships, Sterkenburg ruled the final from the very beginning, placing 1st in the Speed stage with the time of 12.52 seconds.

In the ensuing Boulder and Lead stages, the 17-year-old climber from Durban placed ahead of her teammate Georgiana Dorward (18) twice, closing her final with the perfect Combined ranking score and writing her name among the Olympic qualified athletes in Sport Climbing.

The podium was completed by Dorward in 2nd place with 16.0 ranking points and Tegwen Oates (17) — also representing South Africa — in 3rd position with 27.0.

FINALS RANKINGS

The final ranking of the women’s Combined event at the 2020 IFSC African Championships in Cape Town is as follows:

1. Erin Sterkenburg (RSA) 1.0 points
2. Georgiana Dorward (RSA) 16.0
3. Tegwen Oates (RSA) 27.0
4. Catherine Honegger (RSA) 56.0
5. Caitlyn Burwood (RSA) 144.0
6. Alyssa Meyer (RSA) 175.0
7. Danielle Visser (RSA) 210.0
8. Credo Kasemire (UGA) 512.0

For the women’s Combined finals results click here.

For the original IFSC article, click here.