The RMF enjoyed a stellar qualification session at the Ice Climbing World Championships today ©Getty Images

Russian Mountaineering Federation (RMF) athletes were top of qualification in the men's lead and the women's speed events on the opening day of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) Ice Climbing World Championships in Saas-Fee.

Four climbers reached the top in men's lead qualification at the Swiss village, of which three were representing the RMF.

Nikolay Primerov, Ivan Loshchenko and defending world champion Nikolai Kuzovlev touched the top for the best score of 20.25, as did Iran's Mohammadreza Safdarian.

The bestt athlete from the home nation Jonathan Arthur Brown in fifth, with France's Tristan Ladevant sixth.

Benjamin Bosshard, also from Switzerland, was seventh and American Tyler Kempney was eighth.

In the women's speed, all six of the RMF climbers were in the top six, showing their stranglehold on the event.

Top of the standings was Maria Tolokonina who reached the summit in 8.71sec, a full two seconds ahead of Iuliia Filateva.

Second to fourth were separated by less than a second, with Natalia Savitskaia and Anna Pavliuk just behind Filateva.

Ekaterina Nemova and Irina Dubovtseva completed the top six.

Vivien Labarile of Switzerland and Poland's Olga Kosek were seventh and eighth, in that order.