McNeice & Ginés López Win 2025 Lead World Cup

Alberto Ginés López wins the Lead World Cup 2025 at Koper, Photo: Emiliano Villani / IFSC

Erin McNeice and Alberto Ginés López have been crowned overall champions of the 2025 Lead World Cup after the final round in Koper, Slovenia, on September 6. The event delivered high drama, with Janja Garnbret once again proving her dominance by taking gold in the women’s competition, while Sorato Anraku topped the men’s field.

In the women’s final, Janja Garnbret claimed her 31st Lead World Cup gold medal and 49th overall across all disciplines. After tying with Seo Chaehyun in qualification and semi-finals, Garnbret reached hold 47+ in the final but missed the very top after a foot slip. Seo finished second with a climb to 38+, her seventh silver medal in Lead, while Italy’s Laura Rogora took bronze with a strong 37+ performance, completing her collection of World Cup medals. Erin McNeice finished fourth on hold 33 and was visibly disappointed with the fall, but her consistency across the season – two golds and two bronzes – gave her a total of 4,502.5 points, enough to secure the overall title. With this, McNeice became the first British female climber ever to win the Lead World Cup series. The overall standings were McNeice first, Seo Chaehyun second with 4,462.5 points, and Laura Rogora third with 3,900 points. Other finalists included Lucka Rakovec in fifth with 28+, marking a strong comeback after thyroid cancer, Heloïse Doumont in sixth with 28+ and a personal best, Rosa Rekar in seventh with 26+, and Lucija Tarkus in eighth with 13+, both also achieving personal bests.

The men’s final saw Sorato Anraku of Japan secure his seventh Lead World Cup gold with a climb to 48+, tying the Japanese record held by Amma Sachi. Alberto Ginés López followed closely with 47+, an effort that momentarily had him believing he had won, before Anraku surpassed him. Britain’s Toby Roberts finished third on 46+. Just off the podium were Satone Yoshida in fourth with 45, Jakob Schubert in fifth with 43 in his first competition after returning, and Putra Tri Ramadani in sixth with 40+, setting a personal best. Adam Ondra finished seventh on 35+, while Suzuki Neo ended in eighth after falling early at 10+. Despite not winning in Koper, Alberto Ginés López’s consistent season of three silver medals and three bronzes earned him 4,485 points and the overall Lead World Cup title. Sorato Anraku ended second with 4,145 points, and Satone Yoshida finished third overall with 4,130, boosted by his earlier gold in Bali.

The Koper event concluded the 2025 Lead World Cup season with Janja Garnbret and Sorato Anraku taking gold on the night, but Erin McNeice and Alberto Ginés López emerging as the year’s champions. Their victories highlight both consistency and resilience, cementing their places at the top of the sport climbing world.

Erin McNeice, Lead World Cup 2025 Koper, Photo: Emiliano Villani / IFSC