Sean McColl Wins Gold at the Valence, France Competition

After placing first at the Canadian National Open Bouldering Championship’s at Bloc Shop, Sean McColl continues his run on the podium as he took home another gold at the Valence, France competition on Saturday May 9.

In the qualifying round, McColl climbed all 10 boulders and fell once when he overestimated the size of the final hold. In the finals, McColl flashed all four-boulder problems, securing his title as the winner, following Thomas Caleyron in second and Pascal Gagneux in third.

With the Bouldering World Cup right around the corner in Toronto, we can expect McColl to bring the same intensity, and finish once again on the podium.

“I thought the competition was a really fun weekend, I used the competition as a practice for the World Cup season,” McColl told Gripped’s Sophia Vlahos.

“I tried to take it as serious as a World Cup and tried to follow the same habits from the beginning of the day until the end, I felt like I was on point. Of the 10 qualifying boulders, I only fell once when I thought the final hold was bigger than it truly was. I qualified first and was always last out in the finals round.

“What was really hard about the finals was that they were being topped a lot which puts pressure on the last competitors. I knew I had to continue to flash the boulders to stay ahead and in World Cup’s, it’s hard to stay focused. I kept everything together and flashed all four final boulders. I felt like I had lots of energy, I was figuring out the boulders quickly and climbing them efficiently.

“It was a great weekend preparing for the first Bouldering World Cup of the season at the end of the month in Toronto! Hopefully see you all there.”

Toronto World Cup May 30 and 31

Written By: Gripped’s intern Sophia Vlahos