John Ellison, youth coach of the British Team, started the Climbers Against Cancer project. The website which will be launched in a few weeks.
climbersagainstcancer.org

My very last competition of the season: the European Youth Cup in Kranj. The Belgian team aboard of a plane and here we go!

Saturday was a day of getting up early and having a record-breaking speedy breakfast for me. We went to the climbing hall where I immediately began warming up for the first qualification route. After this I watched the demonstration by Maja Vidmar. The beginning of the route was quite tricky and I was very happy when I reached the final hard part of the route and managed to top out. My friend Celine Cuypers who climbs in female youth B, had the same route as me and climbed really well.

The second route was demonstrated by Klemen Becan. Chloé Caulier climbed before me and she topped out. She explained me the moves and holds of the route and after having warmed up again it was my turn. There was a difficult part in the middle and a strange volume, but I liked the route. I did the last move a bit too dynamic and I missed the hold, but I was very happy that I could go to the final.

It was great that Celine, Chloé, Loïc (male youth A) and Nicolas Collin (male youth B) were qualified as well! For Sébastien Berthe it was his last youth competition, but unfortunately he was ill during the week.

All the female age groups had the same final route, so we could discuss it together. There were some points which were not so clear for us, but it looked ok. I was very satisfied that I fell some moves before the top! Jessica Pilz (AUT) climbed after me and she fell at the same point. She became first because of the time rule, but she was already leading after the qualifications, so she really deserved to win. A lot of girls fell on a hard move in the middle and it is a pity that they had to be split up by their climbing time (especially for Andrea Pavlincova who was leading after the qualifications). I ended up 2nd and Ana Tiripa (GER) 3rd. I also won the European Youth Cup for this season which is really great!

Chloé was 9th and Nicolas 6th. Celine ended up 9th and she did very well in her first international year. Loic was again very strong by winning this competition and also the cup!

It was a nice competition with some great sight-seeing in Kranj and Ljubljana afterwards, which I really enjoyed.

I want to thank everyone for this season! My parents, coaches, sponsors and of course: all the friendly people I met again at the competitions this year!

European Youth Cup 2012 (Photo: Denis Timmermans)

When I was younger I had always looked forward to the world cups in Puurs because it was so much fun watching the strong climbers and being there with other kids. But this time I was going to take part in the competition!

The qualifications were on Friday and I had no idea  how well it would go. In the first route I was very happy that I managed to climb high. The second route went well and I fell some moves from the top. It was very nice that I was qualified for the semifinal. Ana Tiripa (GER) who is my age was also qualified!

My first qualification route (Photo: http://www.worldcuppuurs.com)

On Saturday I read the semifinal route with Ana. The climbing went well but at a certain point I hesitated a bit and I was too pumped to do the next move. I ended up 15th and I was really satisfied! It was so great that all the people from the club cheered me on!

In the semifinal route (Photo: www.worldcuppuurs.com)

The finals later that evening were amazing! Jain Kim (KOR) and Ramón Julian Puigblanque (ESP) became the winners!

Movie Qualification Route A
Movie Qualification Route B
Movie Semifinal Route

More pictures on the worldcup site!

See all the results on the IFSC site

My first adult World Championship and my first time in Paris! We arrived on Tuesday 11 September and the qualifications were on Wednesday. The qualifications went very well and I was really happy that I placed for the semifinal (tied 13^th place). Julia Chanourdie (FRA) from my age category was also qualified! On Thursday we had a rest day and time to visit Paris!

On Thursday Loïc Timmermans (37^th place) and Jurgen Lis (71^st place) climbed there lead qualifications. Chloé Caulier climbed really well in the boulder qualification (29^th place).

Somehow I didn’t manage to warm up properly for the semifinal on Friday. When I started climbing the route I got pumped very fast. I think I did not climb so well and I ended up 22^nd. I was a bit disappointed but the route was quite hard and the top climbers are super strong!

The World Champions lead are Angela Eiter (AUT) and Jacob Schubert (AUT)! In boulder Mélanie Sandoz (FRA) and Dmitrii Sharafutdinov (RUS) and in speed Yuliya Levochkina (RUS) and Qixin Zhong (CHN)!

Movie Qualification route A
Movie Qualification route B

Full results on the IFSC site

I was grateful that I could go to Asia for the first time! The competitors in the Belgian team were Chloé Caulier (female youth A), Loïc Timmermans (male youth A) and Sébastien Berthe (male Juniors) and me. Tijl Smitz and Christophe Depotter were our coaches. We travelled from Belgium to Zurich on Monday August 29 and then on to Singapore where we took the metro and a train early in the morning to Sentosa island. In the evening the opening ceremony took place at the climbing wall which was on the beach.

The climbing wall looked special because the panels were made of plywood without any friction.

The climbing wall (Picture: teamspore.com/global-sports)

The next day all the competitors climbed their first qualification route. All the routes were very hard. I could pass a super difficult part in the beginning and I fell in the overhang near the top.

On Thursday I had to climb 2nd after Salomé Romain (FRA). She climbed super and topped the route! I could top it too and so did Jessica Pilz (AUT) and Ana Tiripa (GER). In the middle of the day it began to rain very hard and the competition had to be stopped. It felt really sorry for those who still had to climb and the qualifications ended late in the evening.

Everyone of our team was qualified for the semifinal!

The next morning there was again heavy rainfall so the semifinal was delayed by a few hours. It was a great experience to be in an isolation zone on a beach with palm trees.

Photo: Garick Bay

In my semifinal route there were some long moves in the beginning and also a technical part on slopers. I was really thankful that it went well and that I could top the route.

The semifinal (Photo: Garick Bay)

I heard that Chloé had climbed very well and fell at hold 25+ (a crux move where 10 girls fell). She placed 16th. Loïc had a semifinal route which was not nice and unfortunately he placed 13^th. It’s a pity because we are used to see him in the finals. Sébastien placed 24th in male juniors.

In the finals I had to climb just after Jessica Pilz (AUT) and in the call zone I knew that she had topped the route because of the speaker and the public. I knew I had to top too, so I was quite nervous. The beginning went well although I was not so confident. At a given moment I made a mistake and I hesitated a bit. I became pumped and fell some moves later. Jessica had climbed super well and won gold! Congratulations Jessy! I was still very happy with a silver medal! Salomé Romain (FRA) won bronze, she did exactly the same as me in the final but I was better placed in the semifinal. Ana Tiripa (GER) was very strong and placed 4^th!

Podium female youth A (Photo: Garick Bay)

The next day we visited Marina Bay and on Sunday we grouped up with Belgian families to make a nice walk through the jungle. They also showed us China Town and Little India! I am really happy that I could go to Singapore!

Some pictures of our visit:

Marina Bay Sands

Belgian Team visiting Marina Bay

Monkeys!

China Town

Drinking coconut milk in Little India!

On Saturday 4 August the qualifications started with sunny weather. Chloé Caulier (female Youth A) from Belgium climbed super in the first route and explained me how it was. I was a bit nervous for the difficult, technical beginning but I could climb on to the overhanging part. I fell at the last move, but I was still happy that it had gone well.

The first qualification route (Photo:Timmermans)

In the second route there were some hard moves at the end  (a big donut) where a lot of girls fell. The beginning went well and I could do the hard moves. But while making a heelhook to go to the tophold I hesitated and fell.

I got to the finals and so did Celine Cuypers (female Youth B), Chloé Caulier, Émilie Guérit (female Juniors), Loïc Timmermans (male Youth A) and Sébastien Berthe (male Juniors). We were with 6 Belgians in the finals! That is a record! 1 out of 10 finalists was a Belgian!

All the girls had the same final route. It looked difficult and the beginning of the overhanging part was hard to read. When it was our turn we were taken from the isolation to the climbing wall in a van. The final route went well and I could climb through the overhang. I fell in the last part (hold 58). I was super happy that it had gone so well. Jessica Pilz (AUT) climbed fantastic and topped the route! She was 1^st, I became 2^nd and Hannah Baehr (GER) 3^rd. Chloé was 9^th.

Celine climbed really well! She was tied on the 6^th place, but because of the new European rule of time she became 7^th because she was 2 seconds slower than Amoros Solène (FRA). It was Émilie’s first final! She climbed super well and became 5^th! Loïc was 6^th and Sébastien 8^th. Belgium finished 4^th on the teamranking!

Belgian Team (Photo: Timmermans)