The crowd was thrilled and the buzz continued after an adrenaline-filled day at Camp5 Eco City in Kuala Lumpur for CRANK Boulder Competition 2024 – Malaysia’s largest bouldering competition, which was held last weekend (4 and 5 May). As the competition has grown, so has the pool of talent.
Climbers from around the South East Asian region descended on Kuala Lumpur to make their mark and take home their share of 75 thousand in cash and prizes. The competition hosted approximately 400 climbers participating in the two-day event, competing in two Adult and four Youth Categories.
“It’s a great feeling to be part of a successful weekend, to host 400 participants over the last 2 days was a pretty incredible feat, and the level of regional competition that CRANK Boulder 2024 attracted was high. We were able to see some participation from some of the strongest climbers in the region and they put on a show! What a final!”, said Sulhan Ahmad, Petzl Technical Sales representative from Allsports Equipment.
Sulhan continued, “It’s great to see the growth of sport climbing in Malaysia, and coming from Singapore, a regional powerhouse in climbing, watching the connections and friendships being made between the climbers was heartwarming. The passion for the sport is growing here in Malaysia, and we can see there’s plenty of up-and-coming talent. As the title sponsor with Petzl, It’s just amazing to be a brand that can help push that growth here.”
While DJs played and the presence of Kraft Marketplace vendors gave the event a festival vibe, it was the climbing that took centre stage. Thrilling displays of athleticism were matched by the rapturous applause of the crowd and plenty of, “Oh, my god!”s were heard throughout the competition as the athletes leapt, crept, and edged their way up the boulders.
Open Final
The afternoon saw the final eight male and female competitors in the open category line up to make their mark.
Saturday’s qualifying saw almost half of the participants coming from across the causeway. It was clear that the Singaporeans meant business, the field was dominated by Singaporean national climbers both past and present. Indonesian Fitria Hartani is the only competitor from somewhere other than the Lion City to make the final.
In the men’s category, Malaysian Ambrosse Giak Hilton was the only home hope to make it through a tough qualifying round. An international lineup that included IFSC World Cup Competitor’s Chan Cheung-chi Shoji from China, and Thailand’s Ozzy Auswin Aueareechit would make sure the crowd was enthralled.
The Open final was held in a concurrent format, with four minutes given for each of the four routes the finalists needed to attempt. The last qualifiers would start first meaning the qualifiers took to the wall to complete their boulders one at a time. The climber last to qualify, would kick things off.
For the men’s category that meant the first climber to be tested was the Sarawakian Giak. The only Malaysian to make the final in either the male or female class, Giak had the full support of the electrifying crowd as they cheered on his efforts.
The level of competition was cranked up when the international representatives walked out. Stand-out moments were when Thailand’s Ozzy Auswin Aueareechit, hacked the men’s second route with his arm span and an Ape Index of +22 making the difference. Two tops would see Ozzy on top of the podium. It was a successful return to CRANK for Ozzy as he also claimed the CRANK Lead Competition title in October 2023.
Ozzy was joined on the podium by Chan Cheung-chi Shoji the World Cup climber who thrilled with his strength and endurance. Shoji also secured two thrilling tops but missed out on gold as Ozzy made just one more zone. Rounding out the top three male spots was Singapore’s Dennis Chua.
All three female winners managed two tops in the final, which was separated by Zones and attempts. Singaporean national climber, Vanessa Teng, claimed the top spot. She was last in IFSC World Cup competition in 2023 but was still fighting fit.
Fitria Hartani from Indonesia claimed second, showcasing her prowess and balance in some testing slabs, while rising Singapore national star Trisha Tham impressed the crowd with her agility.
Rookie Final
Expert route setters led by internationally renowned setter, Chief Route Setter Niklas Weichmann, ensured the boulders would challenge the athletes and excite the crowd. Agility, strength, and problem-solving abilities were all tested to the thrill of the crowd.
In the rookie category, there were plenty of fun challenges with Vietnamese climbers Lee Levi Son and compatriot Thai bagging gold and bronze respectively. Singapore’s Benedict Su takes home silver after a hard-fought second placing.
In the Rookie Female category, the international participants reigned: Koh Deng Hui from Singapore secured first place and was the only person to score two tops. One top enough for Philippines Glory Ann Carmel Dizon took the second spot after scoring one top, although coming back from a recent ACL injury. Dizon chose to compete to gain valuable competition experience as she prepared to make her move into the Philippines climbing scene. Japan’s Akane Shinohara’s incredible strength and agility claimed her third.
Camp5 director, Jeremy Peet, said, “This event is special. The youth and rookie categories allow our members and community to participate in competition in a fun and friendly environment, while our Open has grown to include such strong competition regionally and really allowed us a taste of the incredible feats that are achievable by the human body.”
“Congratulations to all the participants for their incredible performances and thank you everyone who contributed to making this event grow. It’s events like these that showcase the talent within the climbing community, but also inspires others to pursue their passion for the sport. We have so much talent in Malaysia! We hope they’ve been inspired today by what they’ve seen to push harder for their dreams. Time to start training lead!”, continued Jeremy.
Organised by Camp5 Climbing Gyms, the Crank Boulder Competition 2024 is sponsored and supported by Petzl, AllSports Equipment, Walltopia, Evolv, Miracle, Verticale, Virgin Grip, Corezone, Crux Particle, KletterRetter, Lacuna Climbing, Method Grips, and The Vola.
The Crank is a series of competitions in the Lead and Bouldering disciplines. Next on the calendar is CRANK Lead Competition 2024, which is scheduled to be held at Camp5 KL East on 4 and 5 October.
Source: Camp5 Climbing Gyms (Press Release)
