Erin McNeice (Photo World Climbing)
Erin McNeice of Great Britain claimed the women’s Boulder gold medal at the World Climbing Series Comunidad de Madrid 2026, becoming the only athlete to top all four boulders in the final and finishing with 99.1 points in Alcobendas, Spain.
The victory marks McNeice’s second career gold medal in a World Climbing Series event following her triumph in Bern, Switzerland, in 2025. It is also her second podium of the 2026 season and second consecutive medal after winning silver in Bern one week ago.
McNeice secured control of the final on the fourth and decisive boulder, eventually finding the top after a long and physically demanding effort.
“It feels so good!” said McNeice. “This season has been so difficult, to come back and win a gold medal, I can’t even describe how it feels.”
Speaking about the final boulder, she added: “I think I definitely got my sequence wrong a little bit. I made something like 35 moves. I’m very grateful that I’m also a Lead climber. My triceps were quite pumped when I came down.
“Not the best route-reading, but I’m glad that I managed to fight and get it done.”
SEKIKAWA TAKES SECOND CAREER PODIUM
Sekikawa Melody of Japan continued her breakthrough season with the silver medal, finishing on 84.5 points. The 18-year-old topped three of the four boulders, only missing out on W2, and edged France’s Oriane Bertone by the narrowest of margins.
The result marks Sekikawa’s second career podium at senior international level. Her first came in Prague in 2025, where the women’s final was cancelled and the semi-final standings were used to determine the medal positions.
Bertone finished third with 84.4 points, just 0.1 behind Sekikawa after also topping three boulders and missing only W2. The bronze medal is the French climber’s first podium of the season after reaching the finals in both Keqiao, China, and Bern, Switzerland, where she finished fifth and seventh respectively.
At just 21 years old, Bertone now owns 12 podium finishes across World Cups and World Climbing Series events.
FINALISTS COMPLETE THE RANKINGS
Outside the medal positions, Matsufuji Anon of Japan finished fourth with 69.6 points, narrowly ahead of Oceania Mackenzie of Australia in fifth with 69.2 points.
Ayala Kerem of Israel placed sixth with 59.5 points, while Nakamura Mao of Japan ended her competition in seventh with 29.9 points.
Camilla Moroni of Italy rounded out the finalists in eighth place with 19.8 points, completing her first Boulder final appearance of the season.
