2024 IFSC European Championships Bouldering: France’s Avezou and Meignan Take Gold
2024 IFSC European Championships Bouldering
On August 30th, the village of Villars in Switzerland hosted many talented and exceptional professional climbers for the 2024 IFSC European Championships bouldering competition. After an intense speed competition yesterday, the crowd was excited to see some more climbing as we got ready for the men’s and women’s bouldering rounds.
After some very interesting bouldering problems at this years’ event, which was able to showcase the athletes technique, athleticism, and mental strength. Let’s take a look at who took to the podium at the 2024 European Championships bouldering competition down below.
Men’s Boulder Final
The competition was fierce as it ended up being neck-in-neck for the boulder title at the 2024 European Championships. France’s Sam Avezou was in third place when he went to the fourth and final boulder. He needed a clean run to the zone to take the gold and he did exactly that.
Avezou has previously placed silver in the 2022 European Championships and to take home the gold and the boulder title filled him with much excitement as he celebrated this tremendous victory.
“I didn’t plan to stop comps after the Olympics. I like comps. I’m in good shape and I want to make the most out of it.”
-Sam Avezou, IFSC Interview
The British team rounded out the rest of the men’s boulder podium with Maximillian Milne taking home the silver medal and Dayan Akhtar receiving the bronze. All three medalists were able to top 2 out of the 4 boulders, but the results came down to the number of attempts to zone. Avezou had fewer attempts, giving him the edge he needed to take the lead.
Women’s Boulder Final
France’s climbing team celebrated not just one boulder title, but two. Naïlé Meignan took home her first-ever major senior title in professional sport climbing by taking home the gold medal at this years’ event. Meignan was in the same position as Avezou, by going into the final boulder in third place.
The 20-year-old French climber needed to get to the top to take the gold and she did just that in spectacular display of athleticism.
“I knew I had to do it, that this was my moment, and that I had to be strong.”
-Naïlé Meignan, IFSC Interview
Joining Meignan on the podium were Israel’s Ayala Kerem in second place and France’s Agathe Calliet taking the third place. Similar to the men’s boulder final, the score of the top three climbers in the women’s boulder came down to the number of attempts.
Why Are Some European Climbers Missing?
Although the 2024 IFSC European Championships bouldering competition included quite a few 2024 Olympic competitiors, such as Sam Avezou, Camilla Moroni, Oriane Bertone, and Sascha Lehmann. Some professional climbers from Europe have decided to not join the 2024 IFSC European Championships bouldering competition and instead opt to take a break during this time after attending the Olympic Games.
There are also some European professional climbers, who did not attend the Olympics, are still missing from this event. This can be due to team quotas and/or personal reasons.
One of the most notable names that has been missing is Germany’s Hannah Meul. She had participated during the women’s boulder event, but during the qualifications she sustained an injury that has disqualified her from participating any further in the 2024 IFSC European Championships bouldering and lead competitions.
Follow Us for Upcoming Events
For more information pertaining to the 2024 IFSC European Championships Bouldering Competitions results, location, videos, images, etc., please visit the main event page. This event is also featuring other sport climbing disciplines: lead climbing, speed climbing, and combined. The next event will the 2024 Climbing World Cup Koper event on September 6th. Please check out the event page for further details about this event.
