Gold and Silver - The Euros

I've decided to not write a massive blog on what went down in Imst as I think the few articles that have been published have done the job pretty well and I don't want to just repeat them! So here's a quick bit about my preparations and feelings in Imst and a few links to any articles on it if you haven't seen them already.

Imst Qualification Route 2

Imst Final Route

Usually I feel pretty nervous before a comp… not bad nervous but good nervous. But for Imst I felt nothing. I’d gotten ill the day before I started my GCSEs which was gutting… It was ridiculously difficult to study, sit the exams and even harder to train! Almost 3 weeks later Imst was creeping closer and closer and as I was not really getting much better my parents had decided I wouldn’t go to Imst. Of course I was mortified and so tried everything I could to get better quickly… steaming, medication, rested from training… and it slowly got better. I just about convinced my parents to let me go and headed to the airport for a long journey to Imst. The day before the comp I decided to not leave the hotel and stayed in whilst the team went out to explore and ride the Alpine Coaster. I’m pretty proud of myself for being mature enough to tell myself to stay in and not go out with my friends so I would hopefully not feel any worse for comp day. Whilst the team was out I watched a couple films and had a really good yoga and meditation session, which calmed me down a lot. After a restless night I woke up pretty tired and demotivated for the comp. Nevertheless, I did what I needed to do and made finals in 8th. I was really nervous for the final route - the most nervous I'd ever been which i found strange. I gave myself a little pep talk down in the holding area beneath the wall and really got in the zone... something I'm going to try and do more often! Somehow I managed to pull one out of the bag and have a great final climb leaving me with a massive grin and my first gold! :) It was so rewarding to finally be on the top step of the podium and it was also really special for me to be able to share this moment with the team. 

Gold!

Here are the links:

UKClimbing
The BMC
Climb Magazine


Okay, now I thought I'd give you some thoughts on rye European Youth Championships in Edinburgh last weekend:

The 14th and 15th of June saw Europe's best climbers come to Edinburgh for the second major event, and first championship event of the season. I was slightly nervous about this competition as all I had been hearing for the past two weeks was 'Good effort in Imst Molly, I'm expecting another gold in Edinburgh!' Safe to say the pressure was high but I didn't mind.

Final Route Edinburgh

The qualifications were frustrating for me. My first route was on the old comp wall on the line i had had the previous year... Rope drag city basically! This route wasn't exactly my style so I decided to take my time in order to avoid a costly foot slip of misjudgement of how good a hold was. Unfortunately, I took my time too much and ended up being called down for time 2 holds from the top. I was so angry because I knew I could have easily topped this route... what made me even more angry is that my silly error had left me in 16th place on the route with a spot in the finals looking out of reach.

The pressure was on for route 2. Being on the Hangar wall it was automatically more suited to me. I managed to pass a hard move 4 clips up and continue to the roof resulting in a 3rd place on that route and a 7th place overall... finals were calling.

EYCH Edinburgh Podium

Sunday morning came and I was psyched. After my best comp warm up this year I walked out feeling ready. The final route had an easy start with the holds gradually getting worse. I fell at a really big, hard move at the beginning of the roof. I was annoyed because I knew that if I had been able to stick that move I think I could've made it to the end of the roof. Expecting my competitors to breeze up the route, I watched the rest of the girls climb with my team mates and Ian (Team Manager). Surprisingly, all the girls were dropping off beneath my highpoint... it was like deja vu; the same shock and disbelief I had in Imst! I was in first up until the last climber, Alina Ring of Switzerland. Alina looked strong up until a couple moves before where I had gotten to where she started to look pretty pumped. Part of me thought maybe I'd scrape my second gold but Alina fought a good fight, coming off at the same place as me. Following the rules of countback I finished in 2nd place, a result I'm please with as all I want is to be consistent. 

I just want to say a massive thanks to my lovely Mum and Dad who I owe everything to... I wouldn't be able to climb without their amazing support. I also want to thank my teammates for helping me climb to gold and then silver and congratulate them all on their strong performances. And lastly, a huge thanks to my sponsors:

Lyon Outdoor (La Sportiva, Petzl, Beal)
Berghaus
NuLine
Michael and Lauren Clancy
Natoora
Sports Aid
Westway Development Trust
Sport England



PS.Thanks to Tanya Falling and John Ellison for the pictures