Cranleigh pupil climbs to third place in bouldering competition

Cranleigh School pupil Matilda Collins scooped third place in the European Youth Cup Bouldering Championships.
Matilda placed third in the bouldering competitionMatilda placed third in the bouldering competition
Matilda placed third in the bouldering competition

Two hundred and twenty athletes from over 25 countries competed in six categories in the competition, with the top performers meeting in the final in Delft in the Netherlands.

Matilda, who was picked for team GB for the second year, battled tough competition to bring home bronze.

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It’s an outstanding achievement, particularly as it’s the first year she’s been eligible to compete in the European Youth Cup and she is still younger than most other competitors. It has been more than ten years since a GB girl had reached a bouldering final from the lower year of their two year age category.

Bouldering involves climbing with no harness, over crash mats, and requires a mixture of strength, agility and problem-solving.

Matilda started the sport aged seven after an invitation to Craggy Island in Guildford.

She was soon hooked, displaying an early talent that got her noticed by coaches.

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She now trains four times a week with a personal coach; and several times a year spends the weekend with the GB development coaches at various climbing centres around the country.

Next weekend Matilda will compete in the British Bouldering championships in Manchester and she’ll be off to Switzerland in summer to compete in the European Youth Lead Climbing Cup.

As a result of reaching the final in Delft, she has been invited to the youth world championships and hopes to compete in that next year.

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