OQS: McArthur, McNeice, And MacDougall Make Top 20 In Boulder Qualifying In Shanghai

Performance
17 May
3 min read

Part one of the Olympic Qualifying Series in Shanghai, China, began today with the Boulder qualifying round. 46 men and 48 women are contesting the combined Boulder and Lead event at the city’s Urban Park over a four-day event on the Huangpu riverside, all in a bid to secure coveted spots at Paris 2024. 

The competition follows the same scoring system that will be used in the Olympic Games, with each Boulder problem worth a maximum of 25 points.

In the men’s round, a flash on boulder four saw Hamish McArthur secure second place, trailing Dohyn Lee of Korea by a mere 0.3 points. McArthur's performance places him ahead of Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Alberto Ginés López, who claimed third position with a score of 79.

Starting strong in his OQS campaign, Jack MacDougall, having transitioned from junior to senior, is the youngest athlete representing GB Climbing this weekend. MacDougall was the only GB Climbing athlete to flash problem one. After not reaching any zones on Boulder two, MacDougall finished in 12th place, taking 59.3 points into the Lead qualification.

Max Milne, a dynamic boulderer, was called down from problem one by the judge after not using the correct starting hold. Pulling back onto the wall, Milne couldn’t unlock the beta to top the problem. On problem four, with just over a minute left on the clock, Milne fought to find the foot placement to get his left foot on the wall, timing out on the problem, he secured zone two and finishing his round in 33rd with 29.5 points.

In his first international competition since September 2023, Jim Pope took 40th place. Pope took zones one and two on problem one whilst securing zone one on problems two, three, and four. He moves into the Lead qualifying round with 24.2 points.

In the women’s competition, Erin McNeice continues her incredibly strong form this season. McNeice scored a total of 84.6, topping three out of the four boulders in the opening round of this OQS event. The 19-year-old secured 7th place, just 0.1 points behind Zélia Avezou of France, who placed fourth ahead of McNeice's fifth position in Keqiao last month.

Molly Thompson-Smith, a strong Lead athlete, aims to shake up the leaderboard tomorrow’s Lead qualifying round. With a score of 43.8, she finished today's Boulder round in 34th place. Thompson-Smith matched Erin’s attempts on Boulder two, both finding the top on the second attempt. She reached zone one on all problems while unlocking the second zone on problem three.

Our team of six will now prepare for the upcoming days of competition. Tomorrow (May 17), they will return to the wall to put their endurance to the test in the Lead qualifying round at 3 am UK time. Catch all the action live streamed on the Olympic Channel.

The top twenty athletes will progress to the semi-final round based on the combined Lead and Boulder qualifying score.

Click here to access the full results.

Women’s results:

Erin Mcneice – 7th

Molly Thompson-Smith – 34th

Men’s results:

Hamish McArthur – 2nd

Jack MacDougall – 12th

Max Milne – 33rd

Jim Pope – 40th

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