Sam Richard, 18, does Soudain Seul (9A)

Sam Richard, who last month was #15 in the World Championship as well as sent Es Pontas (9a+), has repeated Simon Lorenzi’s Soudain seul (9A) in Fontainebleau. The 169 cm tall 18-year-old placed a book under his kneepad just like the equally tall Lorenzi. (c) Timothée Nitschke

Can you tell us more about the process behind the ascent?
After I sent The Big Island (8C) in seven sessions in April 2023, I started projecting the low start in November of the same year. At that time, I was almost never falling on Big Island, I was doing some good links, but the knee section with the kneepads and the book felt really, really hard, as I only managed to do the crux once during that trip.

I went back to it in autumn 2024, but I had lost the sensations in the upper part. I was only going 1 or 2 days every month, which wasn’t enough to remember all the micro details. Then I realized what I really needed to send was time — time to make it my main focus.

It was kind of by chance that I came back this year, because I had planned to stay in Mallorca until the 23rd of October. But since I sent [Es Pontas] way faster than expected, and still had 3 weeks of holidays left, I thought it was a good idea to try hard on this one. I really felt in shape, and I almost found all the sensations again after just 2 sessions. From session 3, I decided to start going for send tries.

On session 4, I had never felt that strong before — and then I fell at the very last move of the boulder, miserably slipping off the heel. Kind of a glitch in the matrix. The real battle started from that session onward. The pressure was on, as I knew I could send. Session after session, I was getting closer, falling a little higher each time, until yesterday, when everything finally came together. The key moment was when I went back to try one move at the end, just to find a micro-sensation I needed.

I was tired during the send, but I’ve never executed a try that well — surely my proudest achievement so far. In total, it took me 27 sessions (7 for the upper part, 20 for the beginning). I used a kneepad, a book under my kneepad, and I asked a guy to customize my Instincts with a Drago toe hook and Drago heel (like Lorenzi). Absolutely essential.

What are your winter plans?
For now the main focus will be training for the season, and if I have time I gotta finish the job in La force tranquille (8C) and The Understanding (8C) in Magic Wood.