Erin McNeice is the 2026 World Climbing Series overall Boulder champion. The England climber closed the season with 4545 points, enough to win the series despite an opening result that gave little warning of it.
From 11th in Keqiao to series champion
McNeice began the campaign 11th at the opener in Keqiao, China. From there she gathered one gold and four silver medals, a steady run that carried her to the top of the standings.
The title was settled at the finale in Salt Lake City on 18 October 2026, the last Boulder round of the year. Eight women reached the final, three of them still in contention for the overall series.
Second on the night, first on the season
France's Oriane Bertone led from the start, the only climber to top the first boulder. She had also been the only woman to top all four boulders in the semi-final. McNeice answered with two flashes and a flash to zone on the final three problems, posting 69.7 points and setting the marker the leader had to beat.
Bertone matched those climbs and kept her top on boulder one, finishing with 84.6 points to win by 14.9. McNeice took silver, with Japan's Mao Nakamura third on 69.6, just 0.1 behind. "I read it and I knew it was my style if I climb well," Bertone said of her winning boulder.
A second overall title in two seasons
McNeice won her first Boulder World Cup medal, a bronze, in Seoul in 2024, then took the 2025 Lead overall title as the first British woman to win a World Cup in that discipline. Her 2025 Bern gold made her the first British woman to win World Cups in two climbing disciplines.
In 2026 she opened her Boulder gold account again in Madrid in May, topping all four final problems for her second career Boulder gold. Australia's Oce Mackenzie finished second overall on 4080 points, with Annie Sanders of the USA third on 3755 from three podiums, two of them gold. The Boulder season now closes, while the Lead and Speed finale moves on to Santiago, Chile.
