BURSTOscar Baudrand delivered the performance of his career to reach the men’s Boulder semi-final at the World Climbing Series Comunidad de Madrid 2026 in Alcobendas, Spain. The Canadian climber advanced to the third semi-final of his career after a standout qualification round that placed him among the sport’s biggest stars.
Baudrand topped all five boulders and scored 124.4 points to finish second in his qualification group behind Japan’s Anraku Sorato and third overall. Fresh off Boulder Series victories in Keqiao, China, and Bern, Switzerland, Anraku once again led the field with 124.5 points, while France’s Mejdi Schalck topped the second qualification group with 124.2.
But one of the biggest stories of the round belonged to Baudrand. “Honestly it was probably the best round of my life,” Baudrand said to World Climbing. “I don’t think I could do much better than that.” The result marks a major step forward for the Canadian, who revealed his career nearly took a different direction after the World Championships in South Korea.
“I used to train in Salt Lake City but I moved to Montreal, and my whole climbing environment changed,” Baudrand said. “After the World Championships in South Korea I was considering quitting, but it didn’t last long. The climbing environment is so inviting, it’s so family-orientated and they make you feel like you belong. I just got addicted with going to the gym. The gym now has changed my whole outlook on how I see high performance climbing.”
Baudrand also spoke openly about the mental reset that helped spark his resurgence on the international stage. “I had an identity crisis, and I tried to find out who I was outside of climbing and not attaching my results to my climbing,” he said. “It’s all evaporated now and it’s a task of passion now and not identity and fear.”
Despite his qualification success, the Canadian remained grounded heading into the semi-final. “I feel I have set myself up perfectly to fail,” Baudrand said. “I had such a good qualification but coming out among such great climbers I wouldn’t be surprised if I finished dead last and I am in over my head.”
Japan once again showcased its depth by advancing five climbers into the semi-final round. Alongside Anraku, Kawamata Rei, brothers Narasaki Meichi and Narasaki Tomoa, and Dohi Keita all secured progression.
Eighteen-year-old Lukas Mokrolusky of Czechia also continued his rise by reaching the third Boulder semi-final of his young career, while China’s Pan Yufei returned to the semi-final after narrowly missing out in Bern. Pan, who has been managing a finger injury suffered earlier in the season, said he finally climbed pain-free in Madrid.
“I sometimes feel afraid to catch the holds, but this time I didn’t feel pain, so that’s good,” Pan said. The men’s Boulder semi-final takes place later in Alcobendas as Baudrand looks to continue the best competition performance of his career.
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