Ondra Seals Ninth Rock Master Title with KO Boulder Win

Adam Ondra won the men’s KO Boulder at the 40th edition of Rock Master in Arco, Italy, claiming his ninth career title at the event. The victory came just one day after the Czech climber lost the Lead Duel final.

Immediate revenge on the wall

The final pitted Ondra against Italy’s Filip Schenk, the man who had beaten him by just over a second in the Lead Duel. The two pushed each other hold by hold, driven by a loud crowd, but neither managed to reach the top of the last boulder. Ondra took the crown on countback, having made fewer errors on his path to the decisive round.

He secured his place in the three-man final on his first attempt at the third bloc. Schenk survived that round only on his last try, climbing dangerously close to elimination, while Luka Potočar progressed on his second attempt and finished third.

Ninth crown, one detail at a time

The new format pushed 16 elite climbers through four rounds of rising difficulty, with each athlete given three tries per boulder. Reigning champion Yannick Flohé went out in the third round, a surprise exit for one of the main favorites. The arena sat beneath Monte Colodri, its face lit with a logo marking four decades of climbing heritage in Arco.

For Ondra, the win was a quick, precise turnaround from Friday’s narrow loss. His ninth Rock Master title, decided by the smallest margins on an untopable final boulder, added a hard-won entry to that long story.