It is reminiscent of Spiderman when Yannick Flohé clings to the cliffs at dizzying heights. Sometimes only his sweaty, soggy fingertips hold the 68-kilogram native of Essen.
Flohé is Germany’s best climber and is one of the top favorites at the home European Championships in Munich. “My demands have increased. I no longer just want to climb,” said Flohé of the German Press Agency after his recent successes and announced: “Of course my goal is to win. I trust myself to win”. His year began with a crash.
The German Alpine Club (DAV) starts with 20 athletes in the climbing competitions from August 11th to 18th, which take place as part of the European Championships. In addition to the individual disciplines of speed, bouldering and lead (lead climbing on a rope), the new combination format “Boulder
One-legged to the top of the world
No German masters the demanding routes this season as well as Flohé – sometimes even hanging upside down. In bouldering, the athlete from the Aachen section celebrated his first World Cup victory in June. In the lead, Flohé narrowly missed the podium several times recently. All this just a few months after a nasty injury.
At the beginning of January, the bronze medalist at the 2019 World Championships fell while rock climbing, broke his foot and was only able to train on one leg for a while. The constant successes this season therefore surprise the sports director. “You shouldn’t have expected that,” said Martin Veith appreciatively. Flohé, on the other hand, described his injury as “still quite comfortable. I was able to continue training”. Sure, he was left with a foot and two arms.
Climbing is also a show
On Thursday, the Kraxler from the Ruhr area will start in the Boulder qualification for the European Championship. Without the Japanese, who dominate the international field, Flohé counts on good chances. “I prefer steep, vigorous routes,” said the 22-year-old. Dynamic jumps or “other crazy stuff” are not his thing: “I’m old school there,” explained the all-rounder, whose parents used to be competitive climbers.
The tricky thing: Although many routes are similar from one event to the next, they are never identical. “The finale in particular is a grab bag,” reported Flohé. “The biggest handles in the world are unpacked that nobody has seen before. Then it often depends on the show.”
High expectations of German climbers
Overall, the German climbing squad has been more successful this season than it has been for a long time. In addition to Flohé, the medal hopes rest primarily on the bouldering and lead climbers Hannah Meul (DAV Rheinland-Cologne) and Alexander Megos (Erlangen). In speed, where the athletes race up a 15 meter high wall with a five degree overhang at a crazy pace, Franziska Ritter (Düsseldorf) from Wuppertal is one of the contenders for a medal.
Sports director Veith knows that the expectations of his athletes are high. In addition to Flohé, Meul, Megos and Ritter have also been on the podium this year. “Of course the course of the season raised hopes. The potential is there,” said Veith. Nevertheless, the association sticks to its cautious target: “We would be very happy with three or four finals”.
The German wall acrobats hope for the last push from the home audience. When the strength in the upper arms dwindles and the damp fingers slowly slide off the handles, the sea of ??black, red and gold flags should release new energy. “Of course that would give an adrenaline rush,” said Flohé. “Finally a competition in the middle of the city and not in some village.”