Rosa Rekar and Lucka Rakovec Join Janja Garnbret to Cement Slovenia's Dominance in the 2026 Women's Lead Standings

While the top two spots in the 2026 World Climbing Series Women's Lead standings are currently held by South Korea's Seo Chaehyun and Team USA's Annie Sanders, the defining storyline of the season lies just beneath them. Slovenia has established an unprecedented stronghold on the discipline, placing three athletes in the top seven of the Continuously Updated World Ranking (CUWR).

The Slovenian charge is anchored, as always, by double Olympic champion Janja Garnbret. Widely considered the greatest competition climber in history, Garnbret sits in third place with 4,805 points. Her total is bolstered by massive victories over the rolling 12-month window, including a 2,000-point haul at the 2025 World Championships in Seoul and consecutive 1,000-point wins in Koper and Innsbruck.

But Garnbret is no longer carrying the national flag alone. Rosa Rekar has surged into fourth place with 3,710 points, transforming from a rising prospect into a consistent podium threat. Rekar's steady accumulation of points—highlighted by strong finishes in Seoul, Wujiang, and Innsbruck—proves that Slovenia's talent pipeline is producing elite contenders capable of challenging the world's best.[3]

Further cementing the team's depth is Lucka Rakovec, who holds the seventh position with 2,420 points. Rakovec has quietly but effectively navigated the European and Asian swings of the circuit, ensuring that the Slovenian jersey is a constant presence in the semifinal and final rounds of nearly every major competition.[3]

This level of density at the top of the standings is a mathematical marvel under the CUWR system. The ranking looks back exactly 12 months from any given date, summing the points an athlete earns across World Cups, World Championships, and continental events. It is designed to reward absolute consistency and penalize sporadic performances, making Slovenia's three-pronged dominance all the more impressive.[2]

The implications for the national team rankings are massive. In the World Climbing Series, a country's national ranking is calculated by summing the points of its three best athletes. With Garnbret, Rekar, and Rakovec all firing on all cylinders, Slovenia is running away with the team honors in the Lead discipline, setting a daunting benchmark for rival federations.[1][3]

Contrast this with the rest of the field. France has Zélia Avezou in sixth place, and Austria has Jessica Pilz in eighth, but no other nation has managed to place more than one athlete in the top seven. The United States and South Korea boast the individual leaders in Sanders and Seo, but they lack the overwhelming top-to-bottom depth that Slovenia currently enjoys.

The dominance of the Slovenian trio also highlights the evolving tactical landscape of competition lead climbing. As routesetters design increasingly complex and physically demanding sequences, the Slovenian training methodology—which emphasizes a blend of raw endurance and dynamic problem-solving—appears to be paying dividends across multiple athletes.[2][3]

Looking ahead to the remainder of the 2026 season, including crucial stops in Salt Lake City and the finale in Santiago, Chile, Garnbret, Rekar, and Rakovec are positioned to dictate the pace of the competition. Their internal rivalry pushes them higher, while their collective presence forces the rest of the world to adapt or risk being left behind on the wall.[1][3]

The success of Garnbret, Rekar, and Rakovec is more than just a momentary triumph; it is a blueprint for the future of the sport. As climbing continues to grow in global popularity following its Olympic inclusion, the Slovenian model of building a deep, mutually supportive roster will likely become the gold standard for federations worldwide.[3]