Anraku Sorato of Japan continued his remarkable start to the 2026 season, claiming his third consecutive Boulder gold medal at the World Climbing Series Comunidad de Madrid 2026 in Alcobendas, Spain.
SETTING RECORDS TOPPING BOULDERS
The Japanese climber scored 99.3 points and was the only athlete to top all four boulders in the final. His decisive moment came on M4, where he secured a flash to overtake Colin Duffy of the USA and snatch victory with the final climb of the competition.
Anraku spent much of the final chasing Duffy, who had led the standings after topping the opening three boulders. However, when it was time to face the final problem, the Japanese athlete delivered once again, securing gold after previous victories in Keqiao, China, and Bern, Switzerland.
The victory further underlines Anraku’s dominance this season. Across the three Boulder finals contested so far in 2026, he has won all three gold medals and topped 11 of the 12 boulders set for finalists. His triumph in Alcobendas also made him the most successful Japanese climber in World Cup and World Climbing Series history with eight career gold medals.
Speaking after his victory, Anraku said: “I’m very happy of taking my third gold in a row, I just wanna say that. My favourite boulder was the one that I flashed, the last one, but topping the coordination one, boulder number two, was also great.”
Asked about handling expectations as the athlete to beat, Anraku added: “I don’t feel the pressure, I just love Climbing.”
DUFFY FALLS JUST SHORT OF GOLD
Duffy looked set for victory for most of the evening after topping the first three boulders and leading the competition through three quarters of the final. The American finished with 74.7 points and had five attempts on the final problem to secure the gold medal, but was unable to complete the decisive top.
Despite missing out on victory, Duffy earned his first podium of the season after leading both the semi-final and much of the final round.
Samuel Richard of France completed the podium in third place with 54.4 points. The result marks the French climber’s second podium in just two final appearances at senior international level, following his first medal-winning performance in Prague, Czechia, in 2025.