The next round of the IFSC World Cup took place in Briançon last weekend. As the last event before Paris 2024, many qualified athletes chose to sit this event out, but a few used it for some last-minute practice. The Speed discipline had never been part of the 13-year-long-running Briançon event – until now. Japan reigned supreme in Lead, with two first-time gold medallists: Zento Murashita and Mei Kotake. In Speed, Lijuan Deng (CHN) earned a confidence-inspiring gold ahead of Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Ludovico Fossali won his first-ever World Cup gold.