Natalia Grossman Perseveres Through Injury for World Cup Gold

Yesterday at the IFSC Boulder World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, Team USA member Natalia Grossman won yet another World Cup gold. Her first-place victory was her 10th-ever in Boulder World Cup events and sixth in her hometown of Salt Lake City. “I always love the World Cup in Salt Lake City,” said Grossman after her win. “The crowd hyped us up. I appreciate it a lot. It is very special to have my family here, being able to sleep in my own bed, eat my own food – it’s really nice.”

Grossman won the competition with three tops and four zones. France’s Oriane Bertone and Naïlé Meignan also achieved three tops and four zones but Grossman did so with far fewer attempts. She flashed the first three problems of the night, including the the coordination-focused Problem #2. “I’m extremely proud,” said Grossman. “That second climb in the final, I’ve been working on coordination so much this past few months, and to have it pay off in the semi-final and in the final – I was psyched!”

Making Grossman’s victory even more impressive was the fact that she went into the finals with an injured right leg. Her knee was tightly wrapped for the comp, and it was obvious throughout the night that it was giving her trouble. “After the semis, I was unsure what would happen,” said Grossman. “I told myself I would look at the finals boulders and then decide whether to compete or not because I have bigger goals this coming year and this is just a stepping stone so I didn’t want to make anything worse.”

The final problem of the night looked like it was going to be risky for her knee. But the stakes were high – to win gold, she needed to reach the zone hold. The climb started with a big, low-percentage jump with with right leg, putting a lot of strain on the right knee. For the first two minutes of the round, Grossman looked hesitant, perhaps not trusting that damaged knee. She finally stuck the move, secured the zone hold, and earned herself another Salt Lake City gold medal.

“The last boulder [of the finals] was probably the least friendly thing I could think of, but I think the adrenaline and everything – I didn’t feel it too much,” said Grossman about her knee. “Yeah, tomorrow will be a different story. But nothing is torn or anything. I did all the testing. Just some pops.”

Joining Grossman on the podium was Bertone in second and Meignan in third. A World Cup newcomer, Meignan impressed many with her third-place finish. Australia’s Oceania Mackenzie placed fourth with two tops and four zones and Grossman’s teammate Brooke Raboutou placed fifth with two tops and three zones.

Grossman is one of the best competitive climbers in the world. She had her breakout year on the World Cup scene in 2021, earning two Boulder World Cup gold medals, the overall Boulder World Cup season, and the Boulder World Championship. In 2022, she again won the overall season for Boulder, picking up five World Cup golds along the way. In 2023, she struggled at the beginning of the season due to illness but she still ended up winning two Boulder gold medals and the overall season for the third year in a row. We can expect her to take some time off of competing over the next couple of months as she heels her knee and prepares for the Paris Olympics, which she qualified for at the Pan American games last fall.

Final Results

1. Natalia Grossman (USA) [3T4z 3 10]
2. Oriane Bertone (FRA) [3T4z 6 6]
3. Naïlé Meignan (FRA) [3T4z 6 13]
4. Oceania Mackenzie (AUS) [2T4z 2 7]
5. Brooke Raboutou (USA) [2T3z 2 7]
6. Mao Nakamura (JPN) [2T3z 4 5]

Women’s Boulder Final Livestream Replay