Boulder qualification threw up a different sort of challenge for the women in Prague on the first day of competition
With 85 starters being whittled down to 24 semi-finalists, the round saw a lot of topped and flashed boulders in a high-scoring session.
All the way down to 41st place climbers scored at least one top, but one climber was above the rest with five. Italy’s Camilla Moroni was the only climber to score the perfect 125pts.
Moroni said: “The round was easy, but I’m happy with my climbing because I feel like I have improved my flash climbing. I was nervous in the call zone because I knew the boulders were easy. My parents also come to watch me in the semis so I knew I couldn’t miss out on them.”
You may be wondering why Moroni knew she had to top all the boulders and do it quickly: “All the girls before me came back into the call zone after like a minute so I knew they would all be easy.”
With the groups split into two, the winner from Madrid last week, Great Britian’s Erin McNeice was the other first placed finisher with a score of 124.9pts.
EMOTIONS KEY FOR PEETERMANS
One of many climbers to top all five boulders was McNeice’s teammate Zoe Peetermans who said: “My round went really well. I topped all five boulders and qualified the highest I ever have for a semi-final.”
Talking after her round had finished Peetermans explained: “I thought you had to do five tops to make semi’s, maybe you didn’t quite need it. I think I thrive when the boulders are a bit easier because it rewards not making mistake, and because they are a harder level for me, I just have to give it my all and fight, fight, fight. That gives me better emotions in the round, and the better my emotions the better I climb normally.”
The British climber is in good company in ninth overall with Australia’s Oce Mackenzie and France’s Lily Abriat also holding that position.
JAPAN STORM ON; SOME BIG NAMES MISS OUT
Team Japan had all six of their climbers through to the semi-final with four in the top seven positions. Futaba Ito and Miho Nonaka were third, Mao Nakamura was fifth and last week’s silver medallist Melody Sekikawa was seventh.
USA’s Annie Sanders made it into the semi-final, also in seventh, but teammates Nekaia Sanders and Melina Costanza failed to progress, as did Slovenia's Jenny Buckley.
Oriane Bertone made it through, but only just in 23rd spot. The French climber was one of five that included Abriat and Zélia Avezou.
RESULTS
Women's Boulder: https://wclmb.hopp.to/pra26wbr
THE PROGRAMME
The World Climbing Series Prague 2026 will kick off with two days of qualifications: men’s Boulder on Wednesday, 3 June at 9:00 (UTC+2:00), followed by women’s Boulder at 16:00. Lead qualifications will take place on Thursday, 4 June at 10:00.
Semi-finals and finals will liven up the weekend, with men’s Boulder awarding its medals on Friday, 5 June, women’s Boulder on Saturday, and Lead semi-finals and finals closing the event on Sunday, 7 June.
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.