Paris 2024: Women’s Lead Semifinal
Erin McNeice qualifies for Olympic final whilst Thompson-Smith finishes with a top-ten Lead performance.
The Women’s Lead Semifinal route followed a similar pattern to the Men’s, with climbers starting on a steady white section, moving into a strenuous pink section, followed by a dynamic blue section, finishing with a technical headwall. Unlike the Men’s, the route contained less cruxes and was more a test of endurance than power.
McNeice becomes Britain’s first female Sport Climbing finalist
Erin McNeice, climbing second in the round, set an early benchmark on the headwall. After securing 67, she missed a hold on a volume before falling, unable to maintain her grip. Despite the cheers from the supportive crowd, she appeared somewhat disappointed as she descended.
McNeice had an agonising wait to see if she’d done enough as eighteen more climbers took to the wall. Time would prove that the 20-year-old’s seventh-place Lead performance would lock her into seventh overall and a place in the final.
Molly finishes competition in 19th
Molly Thompson-Smith appeared calm and composed as she cruised her way up the Lead route, making light work of the white and pink sections, showcasing her strength as a Lead athlete.
Falling just below the 60, she added 57 points to her score, finishing ninth on the day. Taking 9.6 from her performance in Boulder, her combined score placed her in nineteenth.
Thompson-Smith’s coach, Ellie Glennie, spoke proudly of her Olympic journey: “Molly’s entire team—coaches, training partners, family, and friends—couldn’t be more proud of her today. She’s had to overcome many hurdles just to qualify and even more after that. Her performance today is a testament to the hard work she’s put in throughout this journey.”
Three Brits make Sport Climbing Finals in Paris
Team GB’s success in the Boulder and Lead competition was further underscored by the fact that Britain have more finalists than any other nation, showcasing the depth of talent in the country’s sport climbing ranks. British fans have much to look forward to in the coming days as Hamish McArthur and Toby Roberts compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Coaches Corner with Michelle Forrest
Michelle Forrest is a GB Climbing Coach, with over 10 of years of international competition coaching experience. She has played a pivotal role in developing the next generation of climbers in Great Britain through her role as GB Junior Coach. In 2023, Michelle was selected as part of the UK Sport Coaching in High-Performance Sport development programme.
“Another day, another round of climbing and time to find out which 8 women will progress to Saturday finals.
The route proved to be more progressive than the men’s and came down to who could squeeze out that extra move and gain that extra point.
Sat outside of the top 8 after the boulder round, GB’s Erin McNeice needed to deliver a high score to secure a spot in the finals. Only the 2nd climber out, she put in a strong performance and then had an agonising wait to see how everyone else would fair. Boulder specialists Miho Nonaka, Camilla Moroni and Natalia Grossman were sat in the top 8 after round one, however they were unable to keep up with Erin on Lead and moved out of the running for finals. Lead superstar Ai Mori, who is almost certain to reach the top of a route, scored an incredible 96.1 points which moved her from 11th to 4th and into the finals alongside Erin who finished in 7th.
GB’s Molly Thompson-Smith was also out in action, after being so close to qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, it’s a joy watching her Olympic dream come true. Today she climbed her preferred disciple, Lead where we got to witness her incredible strength as she climbed in that smooth and confidently style we are so used to seeing from her. She added a further 57 points to her score and finishes in 19th.”
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