Action begun today at the IFSC Bouldering World Cup in Hachioji ©IFSC/Twitter

Ukraine’s Sergii Topishko and South Korea’s Chon Jongwon topped their respective men’s qualification standings on the opening day of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Bouldering World Cup in Hachioji in Japan.

Topishko took first place in qualification one ahead of home favourites Kokoro Fujii and Tomoa Narasaki, both of whom rank among the top five bouldering athletes, at the Ésforta Arena Hachiōji.

Chon, meanwhile, finished at the summit of the qualification two rankings with Japan’s Kai Harada second and Slovenia’s Jernej Kruder third.

A total of 20 of the 91 competing male athletes have qualified for the semi-finals, which are scheduled to take place tomorrow and will be immediately followed by the finals.

Women's qualification also took place today ©IFSC/Twitter
Women's qualification also took place today ©IFSC/Twitter

In the women’s event, France’s Fanny Gibert, Slovenia’s Katja Kadic and Japan’s Akiyo Noguchi shared top spot in qualification one.

Japan’s Miho Nonaka won qualification two followed by South Korea’s Sa Sol and Austria’s Johanna Färber.

Twenty of the 67 competing female athletes earned a place in the semi-finals.

The two-day event in Hachioji will be followed by the penultimate stage of the 2018 bouldering season in the American town of Vail on June 8 and 9.