… was no option this year, but I’m looking forward to doing hard moves again once my elbow is healed! ?

So for now: full focus on the rehab!

Photo by @seb_richard26
Sweet neuf – 9a+, September 2017

Since September 2017 I am suffering from an elbow injury.
I prepared the 2018 season as well as I could, combining hard training with trying lots of different therapies and doing the many prescribed exercises. I thought I was going to be more than ready when the season started. Unfortunately it was not exactly as I had hoped.

I was in a pretty good shape when the competition season started in July, but I still suffered a lot from the injury.

The pain wasn’t gone and was getting worse: I was pumped faster than usual and had to handle a loss of strength caused by a constant hypertension in the muscles of my arm.

Nevertheless, after quite a bit of hesitation, I decided to start the season and despite the injury, 2 foot slips and some time-outs, I still got 2 bronze medals.

Photo by Michaël Timmermans

After the world championships I decided to stop my competition season even though there were 3 more world cups on the calendar. It was a difficult decision, but I think I made the right one. This way I have more time to rehabilitate between my last competition and the start of the next training program.

I did a bit of easy multi pitching before I stopped climbing completely in the beginning of October in order to start a rehabilitation program.

The physiotherapist I recently started working with is convinced that one of the causes of my elbow injury is an imbalance in my shoulders and hips. So I started an all-body rehab by doing mobilization and stabilization exercises. That should be good for my whole body as well as for my elbows.
After 2 weeks, I had already made some nice progress and we were able to add some elbow-specific (eccentric) exercises to the program.

There are still climbing goals that I would like to achieve, but right now I need to be completely focused on the rehab of my injury.

It is a time with quite a bit of uncertainty and questions, but I’m grateful for what I can learn throughout the process.

One of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make:
My competition season will end right now and I will not compete in the upcoming world cups of 2018.

I have been struggling with a serious elbow injury for about a year now. I tried to do all I could to take care of the injury by searching for professional help, trying out different kinds of therapies, doing injury prevention training and tendon strengthening exercises.
It’s been a very tough year.

But it has also been a year full of learning and character shaping. And I know those things were not in vain.

I was ready to give it my all in finals, but a footslip ended my climb unexpectedly and I got sixth.

Photo: Michaël Timmermans

Congrats to the new Lead world champions Jessica Pilz and Jakob Schubert!

Photo: Michaël Timmermans

An overview of the competitions I have done so far this year:

February 24th Gripped: 1st place
This Belgian Masters competition in ‘Klimzaal de Stordeur’ had a special format:
– It was an ‘after-work’ competition: the climbers had 2 times 11 minutes to check out the route.
– The route split up in the middle: the climbers had to choose between going left or right.
– All climbers had 1 ‘real’ attempt to climb as high as possible

May 13th Belgian Lead Championship: 1st place

Photo: Michaël Timmermans

July 7th World Cup Villars, SUI: 27th place
What a tough start of the lead world cup season for me: a foot slip and a last place in semi finals. ?
This was the first time I missed a final round on a world cup since my first finals in 2013. Knowing that, I can be thankful for all those times I did make finals. ?

July 13th World Cup Chamonix, FRA: 6th place
At this world cup I reached finals again. While climbing the final route, I timed out and I became 6th.

Photo: Michaël Timmermans

July 21nd World Cup Briançon, FRA: 3rd place
I had 2 tops in the qualification round, a time out but still a high score in the semi final route and I just missed the last hold in finals.
Overall I’m happy with how this competition went and I’m especially thankful realizing that I’ve been dealing with a serious elbow injury since last September.

July 28th World Cup Arco, ITA: 3rd place
I still ended up in 3rd place after a time-out in the final route which stopped me before I had given it my all. I’m satisfied with the climbing I did do though. ?

July 29th Rock Master Duel, Arco, ITA: 3rd place
Thankful for my bronze medal at the Arco Rock Master Duel, a knockout speed/lead competition which takes place every year after the world cup.
Same podium as in the World Cup the previous day with Janja in first place and Jessy in second.