Janja Garnbret and Nicolai Uznik celebrate their European champion titles in climbing – and the audience at Munich’s Königsplatz. At an extraordinary climbing location at the European Championships, the fans are the secret stars.
On the one hand, it was the inviting and haunting techno sounds, but on the other hand, it was of course above all the performances of the athletes on the up to 15 meter high climbing walls that repeatedly erupted in cheers at the first medal decisions of the European Climbing Championships on Königsplatz let. You could almost feel the fascination that can spread after top performances in this sport, which has recently moved into the program of the European Championships.
On both sides of the stage mind you: “Munich is great”, said the newly crowned Lead European Champion Janja Garnbret on Saturday (08/13/2022). Already in the qualification for the Multi-EM she felt like she was in the final because of the atmosphere. And then the spectators at the first climbing finals in lead (women) and bouldering (men) went one step further. “It’s awesome. I’ve never been allowed to climb in front of such an audience”, said Hannah Meul from Frechen. You could still see her joy an hour after her assignment on the wall.
Janja Garnbret and Nicolai Uznik win – DAV sports director disappointed
The fans at the climbing venue on Munich’s Königsplatz remain the mood cannons of this European Championship. Olympic champion Garnbret from Slovenia prevailed in the lead in front of Jessica Pilz (Austria) and Frenchman Manon Hily. Meul was seventh. “I am completely satisfied”said the 21-year-old: “The fact that climbing gets such a stage is mega.”
In the men’s category, the Austrian Nicolai Uznik triumphed somewhat surprisingly in front of Sam Avezou (France) and Adam Ondra (Czech Republic), all three waved their thanks to the audience. The three climbers from the German Alpine Association (DAV), Yannick Flohé, Alexander Megos and Christoph Schwaiger, failed in the semifinals.
On that day in Munich, the big walls were too high for the Germans, and they were denied the first medal they had hoped for. For Martin Veith, DAV sports director, the cut was therefore “It’s a bit of a disappointment, especially as it happens at the peak of the season”.
Next medal chances for Megos, Meul and Flohé on Sunday
After all: Megos still has great chances of EM precious metal in his stronger discipline Lead on Sunday like Flohé. And Meul, in turn, starts in Boulder on Sunday, her cream discipline.
Litmus test for Olympic bid
The audience’s response to climbing makes the organizers happy. These European Championships are not just supposed to be held in the Bavarian capital until August 21st, but they no longer even secretly serve a higher purpose: as a locally limited, but in the best case also nationwide representative litmus test of whether the population still enjoying major events “up to the Olympic Games” (Olympiapark Managing Director Marion Schöne) can feel.
At least on the first three days of the competition, one noticed that the audience and their interest and enthusiasm were there, far away from the often dominant football.
Whether a successful multi-EM will at the same time dispel skepticism about an IOC event is of course another question that Schöne and other officials would have to ask themselves in the second step. The bratwurst stand directly behind the venue, which caused long queues and happy faces, would ultimately have to give way to a major IOC sponsor. Just different signs.
Summer weather helps the European Championships
In any case, the climbing decisions of the European Championships were sold out on Saturday, only one restriction remains to be added: also because Munich, like the entire country, is experiencing a summer outside and without rain. At the football summer fairy tale 16 years ago, the DFB wanted to have the world as a guest with friends, here at least Europe is a guest in the city of Munich.
It’s quite friendly there. Janja Garnbret, Nicolai Uznik or Adam Ondra were cheered on at least as loudly as Hannah Meul or Alexander Megos – precisely because of their unprecedented flights of fancy on the walls, as far as possible they mastered them with their backs to the ground. Again and again they made loud noises “Aaahhhs” and “Ooohhhs” opposite. “The first major event, here in Munich, in front of such an audience: unbelievable”, summed up the 22-year-old Uznik. He couldn’t quite believe his coup yet.