Sometimes you can be disappointed....
Janja Garnbret climbed her way to second place in the final of the women's lead competition. She is still a little annoyed, however, because she was the only one in the women's competition to climb all four routes from qualification to the final top. Based on the rules, however, time became the deciding factor for the podium finish. Martina Scheichl talked to Janja about it.
Janja Garnbret (left) at the award ceremony with Jessica Pilz (center) and Kim Jain (right), Photo: Moritz Liebhaber
Janja, you could have come first, how did you end up coming second after all?
Janja Garnbret: For me, this placement - whether first or second - is great and I'm happy about it. But I'm annoyed that I climbed all four routes to the top - as the only one - and still didn't win. Unfortunately, the performance from the qualification is not taken into account in the final decision. Jessi and I climbed equally well in the semi-final and final, so I came second based on time.
I'm absolutely happy with second place, I'm just unhappy with those eight seconds that were between me and the win. It's annoying when you put in a good performance and still don't win.
Strong start by Janja Garnbret, photo: Johann Groder
You're also competing in the bouldering and combined events. How are you looking ahead to the upcoming competitions after this start?
Janja Garnbret: I have focused on bouldering for these World Championships. My main discipline is still to come. I was able to achieve some great placings at the World Cups this year and was also on the podium several times, but now I really want to win the world title in bouldering after a good start in lead. I've never competed in the bouldering world championships before, so I'm looking forward to these competitions all the more.
I don't think I have such good chances in the combination. I want to at least make the top 6, but that will be super tough. But it's good to start, because you recognize your own weaknesses better in competition and you can work on them.
Janja Garnbret climbing, photo: Johann Groder
How did you prepare for these world championships?
Janja Garnbret: At home, I train in a small gym where I mainly boulder on a system wall. You can't compare that with the training facilities here in Innsbruck. That's why I regularly come to Tyrol to train at the KI. Last year I was in Innsbruck about four times because of this. It was particularly useful for the specific preparation for the World Championships, but also to make my general training more effective.
What do you do in Innsbruck apart from training when you're there?
Janja Garnbret: All sorts of things. Longboarding, hiking, rock climbing and of course shopping. I really like the city. It would definitely be worth considering living here for a while.
Thank you, Janja Garnbret, for the nice interview and we keep our fingers crossed that everything works out at the upcoming competitions.
You can find the interview from Sport.Tirol below. You can keep up to date on Facebook and Instagram here.
