Junior Lead Team manager Ian Dunn gives us the second instalment of the GB Climbing Team’s 2015 World Youth Championship report and tells us how the junior lead team got on in the second half of the mammoth week of competition with over 1,200 young competitors in attendance from around the world.
The World Youth Championships in Arco was always going to be a tough competition. The GB Junior Lead Team had prepared well with most of the team having visited the Rock Master Stadium at Easter during a team training camp; and with some good results in the lead competitions running up to the Worlds, including a win for Jim Pope in the European Youth Cup in Mitterdorf and a third place for William Bosi in the European Youth Championships in Edinburgh, confidence was high.
The lead team went out for the opening ceremony at the start of the ten-day long competition and supported the junior bouldering team and the duel discipline athletes who compete in both lead and bouldering. The lead team also had a good visit to the Salewa Cube in Bolzano, an example of excellent use of space in a superb climbing wall, and also had some outdoor climbing on the fantastic cliffs around Arco.
Europe-based World Championships always attract a huge field and this year was no exception with over 1,200 athletes competing in lead, bouldering and speed disciplines. This was the biggest ever climbing competition and Arco was a fitting place to host it as it is commonly associated with the birth of lead climbing competitions.
William Bosi was the highest placed of the lead team with a 13th place, and older brother Alex took 24th in the speed event. William and Jim Pope were unlucky not to make the cut into the finals; uncharacteristically a change of plan for both of them deciding to go feet first down the roof was a bad choice and resulted in earlier falls than expected.
In the junior category, Alex Waterhouse competed in all three disciplines; for the first time a combined category, in which he finished in a very creditable 6th place.
The full results of the GB Junior Team
Male Junior
Alex Waterhouse 20th
Connor Bryne 28th
Female Junior
Molly Thompson-Smith 19th
Male Youth A
William Bosi 13th
Jim Pope 15th
Angus Davidson 37th
Peter Dawson 44th
Female Youth A
Rebecca Kinghorn 24th
Hannah Slaney 31st
Male Youth B
Kieran Forrest 41st
Alex Norton 47th
Sam Oakes 50th
Female Youth B
Kitty Morrison 29th
Issy Adams 38th
Pippa Watkin 52nd
GB Speed Team Results
Male Junior
Alexander Bosi 24th
Alex Waterhouse 30th
Combined event
Alex Waterhouse - 6th
With five climbers making semi-finals (top 26), this was only one climber less than in New Caledonia and Canada where there were much smaller fields; however, we were a little disappointed not to have anyone from GB to cheer in the finals. There were some others to cheer on: 14 year-old Ashima Shiraishi of the USA took double gold in both the lead and boulder Female Youth B events and is undoubtedly one of the best female climbers of any age; Slovenia's 16 year-old Janja Garnbret was another one to watch, also doing the double and winning both the lead and boulder competitions in the Female Youth A category, and this on top of superb performances on the European circuit where she won every event. Ashima against Janja will be an exciting duel in a couple of years’ time.
The finals were finished off with the Rock Master Duel, where some of the world’s top senior climbers raced against each other on lead on an 8a route. This is what speed climbing should be like, hard, fast and super-exciting with great route setting; it made a spectacular finale to the championships.
Youth Outdoor Climbing Courses
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Whether you want to make the leap from indoor climbing into Sport or Trad climbing outdoors, we run many courses across the country and throughout the year that are specially for 11-17 year olds.
Subsidised Youth Course Places
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There are a large number of free places on courses for families who may struggle to afford it. Any families who live in rented accommodation and who receive income support or universal credit may contact the instructor of a course or Alex West for a place.
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