Bern 2025: Heartbreak and breakthroughs as Pan claims maiden gold

The Bern World Cup delivered one of the most dramatic competitions of the 2025 season, combining individual brilliance, crushing disappointment, and historic achievements. From Dohyun Lee’s unprecedented semifinal dominance to his agonizing fourth-place finish, from Yufei Pan’s tearful maiden victory to the continued excellence of the Big Three, Bern served as a microcosm of modern competition climbing’s brutal beauty.

Lee’s semifinal brilliance: When perfection isn’t enough

Dohyun Lee’s semifinal performance will be remembered as one of the greatest displays of boulder climbing ever witnessed in competition. The Korean’s 99.8 points—achieved by flashing three consecutive boulders and being the sole competitor to top the complex M4 slab problem—placed him an astonishing 30 points ahead of second-place Sorato Anraku.

“His top on M4, a complex slab problem, made him the only athlete to solve the boulder, further separating him from the field.” Lee’s comfort with the technical, friction-dependent style seemed to promise a dominant final performance. “I felt more comfortable than last week’s competition,” commented Lee. “There were many powerful moves in the semi-final, some friction holds, and I like this style.”

Yet competition climbing’s cruel calculus struck again. Despite entering the final as the overwhelming favorite, Lee could only manage fourth place—kept off the podium in a competition where, just hours earlier, he had delivered one of the most dominant semifinal performances in World Cup history.

This Jekyll-and-Hyde performance encapsulates the psychological demands of modern competition climbing. Excellence in isolation doesn’t guarantee success when it matters most. Lee’s journey from untouchable to unrewarded in the span of a few hours serves as a reminder that in this sport, every round is a new beginning.

Pan’s emotional breakthrough: From struggle to summit

If Lee’s story was heartbreak, Yufei Pan’s was pure catharsis. The 24-year-old Chinese climber’s victory marked not just his first World Cup gold, but the culmination of years of near-misses and self-doubt. “I just feel unreal… I didn’t know how to express myself,” Pan told the IFSC after his win. He continued: “The last few years for me have been really tough. I’ve struggled so much. I thought maybe I wasn’t good at competing…”

Pan’s path to gold was as dramatic as his reaction. Trailing Mejdi Schalck heading into the final boulder, Pan needed something special—and delivered. “Pan topped three out of four of the final boulder routes, but won on total points, beating France’s Mejdi Schalck by just one tenth, 84.2 to 84.1.” His crucial top on the first boulder in the dying seconds proved the difference, a moment of clutch performance that transforms careers.

The victory also represents a historic achievement for Chinese men’s climbing. “Pan Yufei became the first Chinese climber to win the men’s Boulder event at the International Federation of Sport Climbing World Cup”, breaking new ground for a nation increasingly prominent in competition climbing.

The Big Three’s evolving dynamics

Sorato Anraku: Excellence normalized

Even Anraku’s “disappointing” bronze medal performance underscores his remarkable consistency. His provisional season ELO of 3056 remains on track as the highest men’s rating ever recorded, despite this being his first competition outside the top two. “Despite his bronze-medal finish in Bern, the Paris 2024 runner-up Anraku has secured the World Cup season title in boulder, his lead insurmountable in the standings” with just Innsbruck remaining.

Five podiums from five competitions—including three golds—represents a level of consistency rarely seen in modern bouldering. Anraku has essentially redefined what constitutes success; anything less than gold now seems like an aberration.

Mejdi Schalck: Momentum maintained

Schalck’s silver medal, decided by the narrowest of margins, continues his remarkable 2025 resurgence. After missing Olympic qualification and finishing outside the top 10 in 2024, the Frenchman has claimed four podiums in five events. His provisional ELO of 2793 represents a dramatic return to form.

“It was Schalck who was leading heading into the final boulder, but the Frenchman was only able to reach the zone on the final route, leaving the door open for the Chinese climber.” That such fine margins separated gold from silver speaks to the intensity of competition at the top.

Dohyun Lee: The season’s unluckiest star

Lee’s season represents perhaps the cruelest paradox in competition climbing. His provisional ELO of 2910—tracking as the 4th best men’s season in history—tells a story of consistent excellence. Yet his medal haul of one silver and one bronze hardly reflects his true level. He has clearly established himself as the second-best climber this season after Anraku, but the results don’t match the performance.

The Korean’s semifinals have been particularly spectacular, yet finals remain his nemesis. After five competitions, Lee has shown he belongs at the very top, but competition climbing’s fine margins have repeatedly conspired against him. His Bern heartbreak—from semifinal dominance to missing the podium entirely—encapsulates a season of what-ifs.

After five competitions, the Big Three have claimed 10 of 15 available medals (67%)—5 for Anraku, 3 for Schalck, and 2 for Lee—with Pan’s breakthrough preventing complete dominance. No other competitor has won multiple medals, emphasizing the gap between the sport’s elite tier and everyone else.

Women’s competition: McNeice makes history

While weather abbreviated Prague’s women’s competition, Bern delivered a full showcase of the discipline’s depth. Erin McNeice’s victory was particularly significant: “becoming the first British woman to win more than one discipline. She also won two lead competitions at the beginning of the season.”

The 21-year-old’s comprehensive performance—”McNeice topped all four problems for a winning score of 99.5 points”—demonstrated the complete climbing required in modern competitions. Her ability to excel across both lead and boulder reflects the sport’s evolving demands.

American teenager Annie Sanders continued her impressive 2025 campaign with silver. After her breakthrough 2024 season, Sanders has proven that was no fluke, establishing herself as the leader of American women’s climbing in the absence of Brooke Raboutou and the injured Natalia Grossman. Meanwhile, “Japanese stalwart and Olympic sport climbing silver medallist Nonaka Miho taking third place” marked a welcome return to the podium for the veteran.

Season standings update: Provisional hierarchies emerge

With one competition remaining, the provisional ELO rankings reveal both dominance and volatility:

Men’s Top 5 (Provisional):

Sorato Anraku - 3056 ELO (tracking as highest ever)
Dohyun Lee - 2910 ELO (would be 4th best season historically)
Mejdi Schalck - 2793 ELO
Yufei Pan - 2740 ELO
Meichi Narasaki - 2728 ELO

Women’s Top 5 (Provisional):

Naïlé Meignan - 2680 ELO (absent from Bern, reclaims lead)
Oriane Bertone - 2652 ELO (missed finals in Bern, drops from first)
Annie Sanders - 2598 ELO
Erin McNeice - 2585 ELO
Zélia Avezou - 2526 ELO

The absence of Meignan creates intrigue heading to Innsbruck. Her return to the top of the provisional standings without competing in Bern—capitalizing on Bertone’s surprising failure to reach finals after winning gold in Prague—demonstrates how quickly fortunes can change at the elite level.

Technical evolution: The M4 factor

Bern’s M4 semifinal problem deserves special mention. Like Prague’s notorious M4 that stumped 27 competitors including Adam Ondra, Bern featured another M4 (coincidence noted) that proved decisive. This technical slab problem, conquered only by Lee, represents the direction of modern setting—problems that reward specific skills and create clear separation.

The fact that Lee, the only climber to solve this problem, subsequently failed to podium in finals adds another layer to the psychological puzzle. Does early success create pressure? Does solving the “impossible” problem exhaust mental reserves? These questions define modern competition climbing.

Looking ahead: Innsbruck implications

As the circuit heads to its conclusion in Innsbruck (June 25-29), several narratives demand resolution:

Can Lee rebound? His semifinal brilliance proves his capability; translating it to finals remains the challenge.
Will Pan’s breakthrough continue? First victories often liberate or burden—which will it be?
Does Anraku go for history? Already assured of the season title, will he push for a fourth gold to cement his record-breaking campaign?
Can Meignan hold on? Leading the provisional women’s standings without competing in Bern creates unique pressure for Innsbruck.
The ELO evolution: Our provisional ratings could still shift dramatically with one competition remaining. Remember that our statistically rigorous ELO system measures absolute performance level rather than accumulated points, providing a different lens than official standings.

The bigger picture

Bern 2025 will be remembered for its extremes—Lee’s semifinal perfection and final frustration, Pan’s tears of joy, McNeice’s historic double, and the continued excellence of climbing’s new generation. These individual stories combine to tell a larger narrative about where competition climbing is heading: more technical, more demanding, more emotionally intense.

With provisional ratings suggesting multiple climbers are having historically great seasons, we’re witnessing not just individual excellence but the collective elevation of the sport. Whether it’s the heartbreak of fourth place after a perfect semifinal or the ecstasy of a first victory, Bern reminded us why we watch: because in competition climbing, everything can change in a single attempt.

The season’s final act awaits in Innsbruck. Based on Bern’s drama, expect nothing less than extraordinary.

Updated provisional ELO ratings and complete Bern results are available on our competition climbing page. The 2025 IFSC Boulder World Cup season concludes June 25-29 in Innsbruck, Austria.