The two young athletes’ outstanding performances earned them Boulder golds
The World Climbing Europe Series made its second Boulder stop in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia, on 16 and 17 May. Some 173 athletes – 98 men, 75 women – registered to compete, representing 31 European nations, plus Australia and South Africa.
REUSA DOMINATED THE MEN’S FINAL
Italy's Matteo Reusa left no doubt in the men's Boulder final, producing an outstanding performance to claim the gold medal with 99.6 points. Reusa topped all four boulders, including two flashes, in a strong display of confidence and efficiency.
Reusa's road to the top, however, was far from straightforward. The Italian made it into the semi-final in the very last spot before finding his form when it mattered most.
Reusa said: "After a tough qualification round, I barely squeaked into the semi-final. But when the final came, I knew I could crush it, and that's exactly what I did. Winning feels amazing, especially after a rough start to the season."
Spain's Guillermo Peinado Franganillo secured silver with 84.3 points, topping three of the four boulders in a strong showing. France's Adrien Lemaire took bronze with 59.6 points to round out the men's podium.
RAUTER WINS A TIGHT BATTLE IN THE WOMEN'S EVENT
The women's final produced one of the closest podiums of the season, with just 0.1 points separating first from third place. Austria's Jakoba Rauter failed to solve the first problem, but recovered throughout the rest of the final, topping the fourth and decisive boulder to claim the gold medal with 59.7 points.
It was Rauter's third European win this season, following the two she secured in the Europe Youth Series in Soure, Portugal, and Graz, Austria.
Rauter said: "I came here with some expectations because at my first European Series event I made it to the final and finished fourth, so it was really close. This time I just wanted to have fun, and it worked out pretty well."
Slovenia's Neza Zajc finished in second place, also with 59.7 points. Spain's Geila Macià Martín narrowly missed out on a higher spot, taking the bronze medal with 59.6 points.
MEDAL TABLE
The medal table of the World Climbing Series Liptovský Mikuláš 2026 is as follows:
| NATION | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL |
| Austria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Italy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Spain | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Slovenia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | N | 6 |
NEXT UP
The next events in the Europe Series are scheduled in Zakopane, Poland, on 14 June, and Barcelona, Spain, on 17 July. Both events will feature Speed competitions, while Barcelona will also host the European Championship in Boulder shortly afterwards. All European events will be live streamed on the World Climbing Europe YouTube channel.
News and updates about all World Climbing events will be available on the World Climbing website, and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.