2026 World Climbing Madrid Women’s Bouldering: McNeice Takes Gold

2026 World Climbing Madrid Women’s Bouldering

The 2026 World Climbing Madrid women’s bouldering competition delivered intense action, dramatic moments, and exceptional performances as some of the world’s best climbers battled for a place on the podium. Hosted in the northern region of Spain’s capital city, the event featured a highly competitive field and a series of demanding boulders that pushed athletes to their physical and mental limits.

Throughout the 2026 World Climbing Madrid women’s bouldering competition, climbers were challenged by a diverse set of boulders that tested power, technique, coordination, and problem-solving ability. From the fight to reach the final to the medal-deciding moments on the last boulders, here’s a complete look at the key performances, major storylines, and final results from the 2026 World Climbing Madrid women’s bouldering competition.

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Women’s Bouldering Semi-Final

The 2026 World Climbing Madrid women’s bouldering semi-final delivered a thrilling round of competition, featuring standout performances from some of the sport’s top athletes. France’s Oriane Bertone and Great Britain’s Erin McNeice emerged as the leading contenders, separated by the narrowest of margins. Bertone finished with 84.6 points, while McNeice followed closely behind with 84.5 points, setting up an exciting battle heading into the final.

Japan also enjoyed a strong showing in the semi-final, placing three athletes among the eight finalists. Mao Nakamura, Anon Matsufuji, and Melody Sekikawa each delivered composed performances to secure their places in the final round, further highlighting the depth of Japan’s women’s team.

Australia’s Oceania Mackenzie was another climber to watch after capturing her first gold medal of her career in Bern. Carrying that momentum into Madrid, Mackenzie once again rose to the occasion. With a place in the final hanging in the balance, she successfully topped the final boulder on her eighth attempt, earning enough points to secure one of the remaining qualification spots and delighting the crowd that had been cheering her on throughout the round.

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Women’s Bouldering Final

The 2026 World Climbing Madrid women’s bouldering final concluded with a standout performance from Great Britain’s Erin McNeice, who claimed the gold medal after becoming the only athlete in the field to top all four boulders. Her near-perfect performance earned her 99.1 points and secured a dominant victory.

The result marks McNeice’s second podium finish of the 2026 World Climbing season, following her silver-medal performance at the 2026 World Climbing Bern event.

“This season has been so difficult, to come back and win a gold medal, I can’t even describe how it feels.”

Erin McNeice, World Climbing interview

Joining McNeice on the podium were Japan’s Melody Sekikawa, who took silver with 84.5 points, and France’s Oriane Bertone, who earned bronze with 84.4 points.

The battle for silver and bronze was incredibly close. Both Sekikawa and Bertone topped three of the four boulders and reached the zone hold on the problem they were unable to complete. With their tops and zones identical, the podium positions came down to attempts. Because each additional attempt deducts one-tenth of a point from a climber’s score, Sekikawa’s greater efficiency across the round proved decisive, allowing her to edge out Bertone by just 0.1 points and secure the silver medal. Bertone finished a close third to claim bronze.

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Want to Watch the Event?

Missed the live broadcast of the event? No problem! Watch the full 2026 World Climbing Madrid women’s bouldering competition on YouTube through the World Climbing channel. The broadcast features complete coverage of the women’s and men’s bouldering semi finals and finals, allowing fans to relive the standout moments, impressive display of athleticism, and podium winning performances.

• Women’s Bouldering Semi-Final
• Women’s Bouldering Final

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For more information pertaining to the 2026 World Climbing Madrid women’s bouldering results, location, videos, images, etc., please visit the main event page. This event will also feature men’s bouldering. The semi-finals and the finals for the men’s bouldering event will take place on May 30th. Please check out the event page for further details about this event.