Milne smiling all the way to Salt Lake City final
Great Britain’s Max Milne topped the semi-final standings after a confident round of climbing that saw fine margins make the difference
The top three climbers from the men’s Boulder semi-final topped three boulders and zoned the other, and that put them above a very bunched up group of 14 climbers that scored in the 69pts range.
Great Britain’s Max Milne was first with 84.9pts after starting his round with two flashed boulders, and that gave him the confidence to carry on the momentum and stay ahead of second placed Rei Kawamata from Japan on 84.4pts and Israel’s Yonatan Katz in third on 84.3pts.
Speaking about his round Milne said: “I think I executed really well. I had no idea what the round was going to be like and how hard. In semi-finals this I've made like three finals with just one top and four zones, but here you had to be super focused.
“You have to battle your mind to stay focused and stay calm, not think about the future and the results. You can build it up in your head and think if I don’t do this one I’m going to be out, and I tried to play with that and see what happened.”
Milne is one of the most energetic climbers on the tour often trying to get the crowd involved in his climbing, and that will never change: “Ever since I was a kid getting into climbing I have just loved it, and I try and keep that even now. I don’t want to win and medal at comps not smiling. I want to enjoy everything, the success and the failures.”
No doubt Katz will also be smiling after making the final in just his second World Climbing Series appearance, and Kawamata definitely took a leaf out of Milne’s book screaming wildly every time he topped in the semi-final. The final looks set to be a fun one.
THE BEST OF THE REST
Despite 14 climbers behind the top three scoring in the 69’s, there can be only eight to contest the final, and that meant positions nine to 18 all missed out.
In fourth was France’s Max Bertone who scored 69.9pts. He was ahead of fifth placed Elias Krüger Arriagada of Germany who also scored 69.9pts. After his round the German climber said: “I felt really good today. In iso I felt like I could do a good round. I was locked in, focused and tried to climb smart and I think it worked out pretty well.”
Japan’s Sohta Amagasa was sixth with 69.8pts, and he was joined on the same score by Great Britain’s Dayan Akhtar and Israel’s Or Mark. Akhtar and Mark actually shared seventh spot due to countback, but neither will mind as both made it into the final.
Even with a lot of flashes on Boulder two, climbers like France’s Mejdi Schalck and USA’s Colin Duffy missed out on the final because of their attempts on the other semi-final boulders. If the final is anything like the semi-final, climbers will look to be much cleaner and precise if they want to stay in with a shot at the final Boulder podium of the season and finish on a high.
RESULTS
Men's Boulder: https://wclmb.hopp.to/slc26mbr
NEXT UP
The men will have their final later today with the women closing the competition, and Boulder series, with their semi-final and final on Sunday.
News and updates about the World Climbing Series Salt Lake City 2026 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, Bilibili, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.
