BURSTErin McNeice won gold at the latest Boulder World Cup in Alcobendas, Comunidad de Madrid. It is her second World Cup gold in Boulder and her second podium of the 2026 season, her first being in Bern last week when she walked away with silver.
“One week ago, after the Bern World Cup, I wrote down that I wanted to win in Madrid,” said McNeice on Instagram. “I felt so much pressure from myself. These feelings are a massive drive for me when they come from a place of belief. These past few days have been filled with so many emotions, and it has ended in the best way possible. Standing back on the top of the podium feels indescribable. I knew I was going for gold, but winning on this stage is never a given. You have to fight for it.”
McNeice had topped all of the problems so far leading into the final boulder of the comp. However, she knew that failing to top problem #4 could cost her. She fought her way to the top of #4, and despite being on the wall for what seemed like an impossible amount of time, flashed it.
“I think I definitely got my sequence wrong a little bit,” she said of problem #4. “I made something like 35 moves. I’m very grateful that I’m also a Lead climber. My triceps were quite pumped when I came down. Not the best route-reading, but I’m glad that I managed to fight and get it done.”
Joining McNeice on the podium were Melody Sekikawa from Japan in second and France’s Oriane Bertone in third. Sekikawa earned silver by an incredibly narrow margin, with both her and Bertone topping three of four problems and both flashing problem #4. The scoring came down to their performance on problem #2, in which Sekikawa achieved zone in fewer attempts.
“This one feels like the greatest gold to me,” said Bertone on Instagram of her third place finish. “I’ve felt like the ghost of myself for the past couple of weeks. After training hard all winter and having one of my biggest highs ever, I lived one of my worst lows ever following it. I felt like all the work I’d done evaporated in just a few weeks, and getting out of the hole I dug myself felt undoable.
“I had to dig deep, because I knew deep down those days, weeks, months, are the best teachers of what life as an athlete is about to me: fighting for your flame to keep burning, and your goals to be achieved, one way or another. I’m not out of the tunnel yet, and I know (and am sure) I still need to get a lot of things sorted out to completely feel okay, but I’m willing to make everything in my power to get back on the track I chose and will keep choosing for myself. Kekiao and Bern, I’ll be back!”
Canadians Madison Richardson, Babette Roy, and Anna Kelley competed in the event. Melina Costanza, Futaba Ito, Hannah Meul, and Miho Nonaka also competed but didn’t make it to the finals. The next World Cup event will take place in Prague from June 3 to 7 and will see competitors in both Boulder and Lead.
Final Results
- Erin McNeice (GBR) 99.1
- Melody Sekikawa (JPN) 84.5
- Oriane Bertone (FRA) 84.4
- Anon Matsufuji (JPN) 69.6
- Oceania Mackenzie (AUS) 69.2
- Ayala Kerem (ISR) 59.5
- Mao Nakamura (JPN) 29.9
- Camilla Moroni (ITA) 19.8
Boulder World Cup Highlights from Comunidad de Madrid
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