Working towards goals with motivation, discipline and a lot of heart and soul, taking on challenges and getting back up after setbacks... Hannah knows this all too well as an athlete in the German national climbing team! A lot of sweat, a lot of skin, a lot of training... Chris also fights for his dreams - not only in the competitions but also in the long periods of preparation! Hannah Meul and Chris Hanke are successful athletes of the German national climbing team. We followed them for a little while on their journey...

CHEER FOR THE ATHLETES AND WIN!
You are part of the climbing community too! Cheer on the athletes of the national team for their competitions in Tokyo and you can even win something for yourself! How? It's easy: Post a picture of yourself in a climbing fan outfit (on Facebook in the comments or on Instagram as a separate post) and feel free to add a few motivating words for the athletes. To help us find your entry, link to EDELRID, DAV and Bergfreunde and use the hashtag #climbtotokyo.

Among all entries EDELRID will give away ten very exclusive ropes: the "EAGLE LIGHT 9.5 MM GERMANY" is the climbing rope of the national team in the colours of the German flag. # Climb to Tokyo

Amandine Loury, who did her first 8c+ last year, has done her seventh 8c, Saoulé Sonné in Buoux. (c) Jeunet

"I’m super happy to be the first female to send this very physical route on one and two-finger holds typical of Buoux. But contrary to historical routes in Buoux that are rather vertical, this one is an endurance route in a big roof. The first routes in this roof were bolted twenty years ago, but "Le saoulé sonné" is a quite recent route sent by a few boys like Adrien Boulon, Manu Lopez and Mathieu Bouyoud. Yet it’s summertime, temperatures are very hot in the south of France. I'm waiting to finish my work in late June to go climbing in the mountains in better conditions."

What about that "Objectif 👉 9a" posted on your Insta?
I wanted to try a route this winter near my home, in Saint Léger du Ventoux, but finally, I had a different plan. So I will try this later maybe. I love too much climbing on different crags, different routes. I love the diversity of climbing. I don’t like to try a unique route for months and months.

Shauna Coxsey, who has stood on 30 World Cup podiums and won eleven gold medals, has announced on Insta that the Olympics in Tokyo will be her last competition. In the 2019 World Championship, she got the bronzes in both Boulder and Combined. The only other World Cup she has done after that was the first in Salt Lake City where she was #36 out of 49 competitors, which was her worst result ever by far. In between 2011 and 2019, her worst result during 59 Bouldering WC's and Championships was being #10. (c) Eddie Fowke

"After years of being ready, years of preparation, off seasons spent fighting to get to the start line, years of harnessing the desire, the determination and the belief it feels so wrong to admit I no longer want to do competitions."

The European Youth Cup in Imst, Austria, showed opposite results compared to normal. In Lead, Eastern Europe dominated with five golds at the same time Western Europe got five gold in Speed. Olympian, Alberto Ginés Lopéz from Spain won the oldest male category in Lead. France did not participate and Austria got just two bronzes, in Lead, which might be their worst result ever in a Euro Youth Cup.

01: Alberto Ginés Lopéz ESP - Michaela Smetanova CZE
03: Gergö Valyi HUN - Aleksandra Totakova BUL
05: Darius Rapa ROU - Barbora Bernadora CZE
Complete results

Thomas Salakenos, who had 8b+ as his personal best four months ago, has done the FA of Tatanka 9a in Trou margritte. "The route is located in Anseremme, 2 km's from Freyr. It has been bolted approximately in 1995 by Michel Vanheinde. I needed six sessions in total on a 3 weeks period. 3 sessions for working out the moves then 3 more to send.

Recently, I shifted my focus on routes, because of the Covid-19 crisis and the travelling restrictions, as there is almost no bouldering in Belgium. I became more and more relaxed about climbing on a rope and quickly managed to send most of Belgium's hardest short routes (all are my first of the grades)."

What are your next plans and goals?
My goals for the summer is to have two little trips to Magic Wood. One short in July to try to finish old projects and work out the moves of the next ones for the second trip in September. Maybe a trip to the USA next year, and of course Rocklands in the next two years!

William Bosi, who did six routes 9a to 9b+ during a one month trip to Spain this spring, has done Northern Lights 9a at Kilnsey, after just two sessions. He was belayed by Ben Moon who bolted it more than 25 years ago. "World class line with so much history!"

Moon actually stopped sport climbing and started bouldering in 1996, after tried it for 30 days without success. Then Steve McClure did the FA in 2000 and it has only been repeated by Adam Ondra in 2010 and Alex Megos in 2016. McClure is known for his hard grade and Moon has said that he thinks that it merits 9a+.

So what have you been doing since returning from Spain?
Since returning from Spain I’ve continued my training in preparation for the competitions later in the year.

How was the process taking it down?
As the route is only about 15 meters it is all about power endurance, so making each move as efficient as possible was key. So I spent the first day just working on each individual move and section. I did give a redpoint go at the end of the day where I fell just before the last draw. I knew it was game on at this point so I decided to rest and come back. Coming back I warmed up and then gave two redpoint goes, the first I fell on the second last move and the second I was able to fight through and clip the anchor! Definitely has to be one of the best routes I’ve climbed.

Keenan Takahashi, Ethan Pringle and Connor Herson have done Empath 9a (+) in Tahoe which Carlo Traversi opened last year. It has also been done by James Webb, Daniel Woods and Nathaniel Coleman, everyone calling it one of the best. Alex Aristei has taken the picture of the young phenomena who did an 8c+ 2nd go at age 14 and one year later the 8b+ big wall The Nose. The best multi-disciplin teenager inthe world has been Top-16 in the last three Youth World Champions.

How was the process taking it down? Did you use crack gloves like Pringle? (c) Tradisplaid
I think I sent empath on my 5th session, but I nearly sent it on my 3rd and 4th sessions as well. I was able to jam my way past the three of the four cruxes on the route, making each of them substantially easier. I did not wear any tape or crack gloves for the send.

What does tour Insta presentation, "Obsessed with climbing", stand for?
I made climbing a very important part of my life because I enjoy it so much. Whether it’s the amazing locations trad climbing takes me, the try hard of sport climbing, the intensity of competition, or any combination of these, every type of climbing has its own appeal.

Making an Olympic prediction is harder than ever. One year has passed since the last Lead World Cup. Furthermore, only half of the Olympians participated in all three events in Salt Lake City last month. We nevertheless take the chance to predict the winning odds for the Top-5:

1. Tomoa Narasaki 2.5 - Janja Garnbret 1.3
2. Adam Ondra 3.5 - Miho Nonaka 6.0
3. Jakob Schubert 7.0 - Akiyo Noguchi 9.0
4. Bassa Mawem FRA* 9999 - Aleksandra Miroslaw* 999
5. Kai Harada 12 - Brooke Raboutou 11

Narasaki is predicted to win because he is on home turf and can challenge the Speed specialists. If he wins Speed it will be hard for Ondra or Schubert to catch him as they probably will be among the lowest ranked in Speed.

Garnbret is also the fastest among the non-Speed specialists and is the big favourite to win both Lead and Boulder. It should be mentioned that either Mawem or Miroslaw participated in the Boulder events in Salt Lake City. It just might be the best strategy for the Speed specialists to skip any Lead or Boulder training whatsoever, as it for them comes down to who wins Speed, see below.

*The most certain prediction in the Tokyo Olympics is that, due to the multiplication format, there will be a Speed specialist finishing #4 or #5. The Speed qualification winner will probably make it to the Top-8 final even if being dead last in Lead and Boulder, in the qualification. Among the females, with four Speed specialists and the African representative, it is actually possible that the Top-2 in Speed will make it to the final, meaning that there is a "risk" for a Speed specialists bronze. Mathematically, and considering potential non-sportsmanship actions, the risk is actually rather big. It just takes that the #2 in Speed finishes around #16 in Boulder and #14 in Lead and she could advance to the final, as long as some of the best like Janja Garnbret, Miho Nonaka and Akiyo Noguchi are highly ranked in all disciplines.

Another twist is that, for the sake of creating the best show, let us hope that Rishat Khaibullin makes it to the final. He can challenge the speed specialist while being ok also in Boulder. In the World Championship, he got the bronze and he can do it again if he is at least Top-2 in Speed in the qualification.

Alberto Gines Lopez, who has focused on Euro Youth Cups, finally had a great result when he won the Speed qualification with 6.28, setting a new PB. Out of the 20 Olympians, only the three Speed specialist and Tomoa Narasaki and Mickael Mawem have a better PB. As the Combined results are multiplied in Tokyo, it is very important to have a superb result in one or two events instead of having three good results. In other words, if the 19-year-old can advance to the Top-8 final he could be second in Speed giving him good chances for bronze overall.