The first installment of the Delhi Boulder Battle took place on April, 23 2019. The psych was so high that we have been asked to hold this battle as often as possible. We are also grateful to have had the support of the entire community and fellow athletes who participated from around the country. The spirit of the Delhi Boulder Battle has further emboldened our belief that climbing is meant for all and that “walls are indeed meant for climbing”.
Those who participated in the Battle know that making it to the finals entailed some stiff challenge. We were all presented with a set of 30 boulder problems to work on. Scores were based on flashes and a few attempts after which it didn’t count. Though 30 problems is a lot to dial in over a limited amount of time, a few participants managed to send more than 20 problems. And despite being fully packed, the overall atmosphere around the box remained quite invigorating and engaging.
The final round of competition for women’s final was held amongst Anisha Verma, Jayati Gadamsetty, Svenja Von Jan, Shreya Nankar, Shivani Charak and Prateeksha Arun. Svenja gained a zone on W1 (women’s first finals climb), but it was definitely a challenge as she was the only woman to do so. The W2 purple route that began on the big slab wall saw the highest number of falls as none of the competitors were able to overcome the crux of the climb. The precarious starting moves and the control and precision it required made it seem something out of the ordinary. The W3 yellow route was topped out by Anisha as she exhibited great power endurance to keep it together until the end. Her route-reading skills were on point and it all culminated in a static controlled finish that secured her the 1st place.
In the men’s final, we had Adarsh, Suraj, Maibam, Deepu, Bharat G and Bharat P. This was certainly an assembly of some of the best climbers from across the country and to see them go against each other was thrilling to say the least. Adarsh is known to have been pushing the envelope in India as a relatively young climber. Earlier this year, he finished his first 8b/+ sport route in Badami he named, “The Beginning of the End”. Maibam and Suraj also put up a good show. Maibam won the 2015 asian youth championship twice, once in Malaysia and the other in Singapore. He was the only one to get to the top of M1 while others only managed to get to the zone holds. Suraj -relying on his sheer power- skipped the zone hold on M3 on his way to the top but dropped the flash on M2 due to a competition rule he was unaware of. Adarsh managed to dial in two flashes on M2 and M3 which led him to the win.
The crowd cheering at the finalists kept the excitement and fervor at its peak. Anisha Verma bagged the first prize, Jayati Gadamsetty second and Svenja secured the third spot. Men’s final saw Adarsh winning the comp with Suraj and Maibam securing second and third position respectively.
Also, we had some other winners in the form of team winners - that is a team of 3 individuals including 1 man and 1 women that scored the highest score in the qualification round - which were Jayati Gadamsetty, Sangram Malik, and Vicky Bhalarao.
We’d like to thank our fellow sponsors for coming on board and help us realize this event. Powered by Sleepy Owl. Fueled by Nourish Organics, Urbana Superfoods, and Happy Jars. Supported by Mishmi Takin, Decathlon, Kica, Tokyo Powders, and Vertical-Life.
