BMC ambassador Shauna Coxsey MBE maintained her exemplary run of form to become the indisputable champion of the women at the British Bouldering Championships 2016, while it was all to play for in the men’s in an astounding final that saw Matt Cousins take the top spot on the podium for the first time ever.
There was an immense battle over the weekend, full of action, surprises and upsets, as the best of British battled it out to determine who would be crowned number one at the British Bouldering Championships (BBCs) 2016. Taking place in Sheffield city-centre, the atmosphere was amazing and the roar from the large and incredibly vocal crowd boosted the athletes on to some great performances.
Rob Adie, BMC competitions officer, said: “Amazing crowd, fantastic atmosphere, and one of the best comps the BMC has ever run. Congrats to all involved and many thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors that helped make the event possible.”
Highlights
Shauna Coxsey’s performance was especially dazzling, as she easily topped every problem and flashed all bar one – a dynamic slab problem which she almost caught first time. Shauna seems to remain in a league of her own this year, as her success comes not long after securing the title of IFSC Boulder World Cup Champion in Vail, USA.
Shauna commented: “The crowd were amazing and the whole atmosphere was so good, the fact that so many people came out in the rain at the beginning of finals was unbelievable. I’d like to give a massive thank you to all the people who made the effort to come out and watch it.”
WATCH: Shauna Coxsey's post-podium reaction to winning
VIDEO
There’s one more IFSC Boulder World Cup to go in Munich, Germany on 12 August, but with the overall result a foregone conclusion, all eyes will be focusing on the IFSC World Championships in Paris, France on 14 September.
Matt Cousins took his much-deserved first BBC title, after coming second in 2014, in a final that had everything to play for. After narrowly leading the semi-finals, Matt pulled it out of the bag on the final problem – a dyno that had only seen one top by runner-up Nathan Phillips – that he described as his “favourite problem”. Commenting to UKC later on his win, Matt said: “It felt like it was my time to do well.”
Trending live
Last year, BMC TV produced a highlights film, but following feedback this year we decided to concentrate on delivering a high-quality live stream. BMC TV comissioned local Sheffield company Technative to produce the live stream with expert commentary by Gaz Parry and Mina Leslie-Wujastyk. And a huge thanks to Ask4 for providing the broadband connection.
Full report
Those hoping for an easy qualification set were left devastated by a range of problems that took no prisoners. While all the usual faces and crowd favourites made it through to the semi-finals, the tricky set meant it didn’t take much to make it through qualifiers as, in the men’s field, all you needed was one bonus in three attempts, while competitors in the women’s field could make it through with one top and three bonuses in no more than four attempts.
Molly Thompson-Smith was hot on the heels of Shauna Coxsey, qualifying in second place, with Leah Crane close behind. Meanwhile, Dave Barrans cruised his way through with five flashes, followed closely by Matt Cousins and Orrin Coley.
With the exception of Shauna’s performance, things were shaken up a little by another hard set of problems in the second round. Michaela Tracy came out with a ton of psyche and energy to put on a very strong performance, finishing in second with a smile on her face, while Tara Hayes also put in some strong opposition to move up the rankings ahead of Leah Crane. Molly narrowly missed out on finals in ninth position, but Gracie Martin and Jo Neame both looked ecstatic to make their first ever BBCs finals.
Dave Barrans and Matt Cousins switched around, as Matt topped four boulders to Dave’s three, and Orrin Coley only just made finals in sixth position. They were joined by Nathan Phillips, Billy Ridal, and James Garden who qualified in third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
WATCH: Nathan on Men's two in the qualifiers
Finals
Of course, Shauna cruised to the top of the podium in a performance that showcased her World Cup Champion status. She flashed all four final problems while never once showing signs of struggling, merely taking her time to work out the sequence to success. Tara Hayes made her way to the top of two problems in an impressive performance to earn the silver medal and her highest position yet, while Leah Crane continues to look strong and earned a worthy third place with a flash of the second problem.
But in the men’s finals nothing was set in stone. The first problem saw a number of flashes and five tops, but Dave Barrans, despite matching the final hold, failed to receive points for his top as his foot strayed out of bounds. Most climbers then found the second problem tough, as it saw only one top from Orrin Coley in an incredible display of determination, while only Billy Ridal made the bonus hold.
A mixture of tops were seen on the slabby and dynamic third problem, with Dave Barrans earning his first of the finals, but it was the final men’s problem – a huge dyno off slopey volumes – that really separated the field. In short time, Nathan Phillips worked out some marvellous beta that made the dyno look easy, but Matt Cousins used a mixture of grit and tenacity that saw the dyno finally crumble to a huge cheer from the crowd.
With three tops in four attempts, Matt Cousins was decisively crowned the champion, while Nathan took the silver with three tops in five attempts and Orrin's three tops in six attempts earned him the bronze medal.
Congratulations to all the competitors on fantastic and inspiring performances. We can’t wait to see you in action again.
Results
Men
1. Matt Cousins
Women
1. Shauna Coxsey
Replay: Final of the British Bouldering Championships 2016
Replay: Semi-final of the British Bouldering Championships 2016
WATCH: We Are GB Climbing
VIDEO
🧗♀️ FOLLOW: GB Climbing's Instagram for exclusive photos and results
⛰️ JOIN: Become a BMC member and support GB Climbing
📺 WATCH: GB Climbing YouTube playlist
🐦SCROLL: GB Climbing on X for live updates
👍 LIKE: GB Climbing Facebook for even more news and photos
👀 VISIT: GB Climbing website and see who's on the team
GB Climbing is supported by the BMC, Mountaineering Scotland and Secur-it . Many UK walls also support the GB Climbing team through free or subsidised entry.
« Back