BURSTThe World Climbing European Championship brought Europe’s top boulderers to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, where Great Britain’s Max Milne and France’s Oriane Bertone claimed the men’s and women’s European titles. Athletes and spectators endured soaring temperatures throughout the weekend, but the competition delivered great action at the iconic Formula 1 venue.
Barcelona attracted one of the strongest fields of the European season. Paris 2024 Olympic champion Toby Roberts returned from injury to lead the men’s field alongside former European champion Sam Avezou, but both were eliminated before the final, highlighting the depth of the competition. In the women’s event, defending champion Naïlé Meignan was absent, leaving the title race open to Bertone, Zélia Avezou and a strong group of contenders.
Bertone dominated the women’s final, topping three boulders, including two flashes, to win with 84.3 points and add European gold to the bronze medal she won in 2022. The fight for the remaining podium places went down to the final boulder, with Zélia Avezou taking silver on 59.9 points and Italy’s Camilla Moroni securing bronze on 59.1.
Milne produced an outstanding display to win his first European Championship gold with 74.8 points, upgrading the silver medal he earned in 2024. His standout moment came on the third boulder, where a composed re-establishing jump on a technical slab helped him record three tops in four attempts. Belgium’s Hannes Van Duysen claimed silver with 54.7 points, while France’s Samuel Richard completed the podium with bronze on 49.9. France topped the medal table with three medals (one gold, one silver and one bronze), while Great Britain, Belgium and Italy each finished with one medal.
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