To celebrate? Now? Hannah Meul had to laugh, actually she laughed all the time, the sport climber was so overwhelmed. The silver medal dangled around her neck, it was the first for the German team, although the targeted trophies at the European Championships were expected more in the men’s team. “I really just want to go to bed, sleep in late and then hope that the skin on my hands grows back,” she said.
The efforts of the past three days were enormous, reported the climber from Frechen, first qualifying, semi-finals and finals in the lead, then the same program in bouldering. “We’ve never had to switch from one competition to the other before,” said the 21-year-old, “that was very intense and a whole new challenge for me.” Your secret of success? “The positive energy carried me, the spectators pushed me and I just enjoyed every second.”
In fact, Meul radiated a joy and desire in her competitions that is rarely seen in professional athletes. With third place in the semifinals, she already indicated that she was one of the narrower circle of favourites. And when she climbed the first route in the final, it was clear that she was at the forefront.
Can she still reach the next boulder? Hannah Meul in the final.
(Photo: Tobias Schwarz/AFP)
Especially since the overwhelming Janja Garnbret, who had already won the European Championship title in the lead the day before, did not succeed. But the Slovenian, who tore the nail on her index finger when she won the first competition, faltered just that once. She mastered the next two routes in the first attempt, regardless of finger injury, extreme program: Garnbret was already the double European champion before the last of the four routes to be mastered. France’s Oriane Bertone won bronze.
Meul, on the other hand, narrowly failed in the final attempt. She came a lot closer than Garnbret to the last boulder, which has to be held in a controlled manner with both hands, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying it, rather it was an incentive for the combination competition on Wednesday. “Now I know I have a chance to win. It’s going to be a huge party that I want to enjoy. There are no limits for me now.”
In keeping with the mini-Olympics, the host has also set up a mini-Oktoberfest on the Königsplatz
This is indeed to be expected, because once again the event was filled to capacity with 5,000 spectators. No matter who was on the wall, the visitors whipped the athletes up, the atmosphere in the stands and standing areas was once again outstanding. There were also a lot of people bustling around outside on the Königsplatz, there was a folk festival atmosphere. The organizers had a lot of things in mind: In keeping with the mini-Olympics, as the championships are often called, a mini-Oktoberfest has been set up in the middle of Königsplatz, there are sausages, roasted almonds and small beer gardens, and you can sit next to the Glyptothek relax on the so-called Multicolour Roof with more exotic dishes and drinks. Once again the Königsplatz gave a colorful and lively picture, especially many young people and families with children were out and about.
This can also be expected for the combined competition on Wednesday, in which Hannah Meul once again has the best chances. The 21-year-old is currently climbing the season of her life, twice she was second in the World Cup on the podium, at the latest with silver at the European Championships she has finally climbed into the circle of the professional elite.
The German men try to explain their disappointing results
When the 21-year-old came from the award ceremony beaming with joy, her two teammates presented a completely different picture: Alexander Megos and Yannick Flohé were about to explain their disappointing performance. Both had traveled to Munich as medal contenders, in bouldering they didn’t even reach the final round of the top six, after which Flohe had criticized the route in clear words as too difficult.
This is how it should work: Yannick Flohé and Alexander Megos (from left) study the route, on the right the two Slovenes Domen Skofic and Luka Potocar.
(Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
In the lead final, climbing with safety ropes, which took place on Sunday evening immediately after the women’s bouldering, the two German star climbers took fifth and sixth place. With which both missed the combination competition on Thursday, which will be Olympic in this form in Paris 2024 for the first time. And what they couldn’t do anything with. While both were still extremely taciturn after the unexpected bouldering exit, the German duo found some gallows humor on Sunday evening: “Biceps too small, climbers too weak,” Megos answered before the question of classification was over. Of course he was bitterly disappointed, admitted the 29-year-old, who celebrated his birthday two days ago.
Was the pressure in front of your home crowd too great? He’s been in business for too long for that, Megos explained: “Sometimes you risk too little, sometimes too much, then the moment is over and things go down.” Flohé, who celebrated his birthday on the day of the competition, found the clearer words again, the 23-year-old was considered the clear favorite for a medal, he was the decisive professional of the season, was always on the podium and had won the most recent World Cup in Brixen: “Everything went shitty. I was better in every World Cup, so I didn’t have to go there in the first place.” Annoyed, he gave up the serenade announced by the competition announcer. Adam Ondra, who is generally regarded as the world’s best climber, won gold in the lead ahead of Slovenian Luka Potocar and Spanish Olympic champion Alberto Gines Lopez.
While teammate Meul left the arena on Königsplatz with the silver medal around his neck to head to her hotel for skin care on her hands and a long sleep, Flohé revealed how he intends to end the evening with his buddy Megos: “We’re going to be here now find a beer garden somewhere and eat something.” only eat? Even he had to laugh at that.