The IFSC World Cup circus rolled into Seoul, Korea, for the final leg of this year's series. It has been a huge year for competition climbing, with the Paris Olympics the undeniable epicentre, the tail end of the season has seen a decline in participation by the top athletes and a decline in form for some who have kept competing. Nevertheless, in Seoul there would be Speed, Boulder and Lead events, a chance to finish the major competition calendar of the year with a bang and to crown overall champions for the World Cup series in all disciplines.

September, at least in the northern hemisphere, is known amongst rock climbers as 'Sendtember', because the autumn weather is cooler than summer and drier than spring—this is conducive to amenable rock climbing conditions at many crags. This year's Sendtember has been especially sendy, as many elite climbers have ventured outdoors after the Paris Oympic Games, either as a break from competing, or to forget about the whole competition climbing scene after missing out there.