Oviedo roared yesterday with the climb. More than a thousand people gathered yesterday in the Plaza de la Catedral to enjoy the best climbers in Spain. At stake was the first round of the Spanish Cup, a championship that Alberto Ginés, brand new Olympic gold medalist in the modality, did not want to miss, who did not have his dream afternoon. Despite this, the level seen in the capital of the Principality was spectacular. Alejandro Crespo, Iziar Martínez, Leslie Romero and Alejo Bernabé rose to the applause of the Asturian public.
The first to appear on the scene were the speed climbers. Although the favoritism was for Erik Noya, runner-up in the world in 2021, the Catalan climber could not stop Alejo Bernabé, who at 17 confirmed that he is one of the great promises (perhaps already a reality) of the sport at a national level. Both fought in an intense semifinal that ended with Bernabé surpassing his personal best, managing to climb the 15-meter wall in six seconds and 13 tenths. In the final, the man from Madrid took advantage of a small stumble by Miguel Gómez, his rival, to claim victory. “I couldn’t be happier, for the victory and for the record. I started a little doubtful, but with each climb I felt better,” confessed Bernabé, exhausted after his victory.
On the women’s side, the win went to Leslie Romero. “The conditions of the wall and the wind made it a very tough test. I had to work hard to adapt,” acknowledged the Venezuelan, who lives in Valencia. In the final, her rival, María Laborda, suffered an error at the beginning of the ascent that gave Romero victory on a platter.
The speed test gave way to the main dish of the afternoon. 16 climbers, eight boys and eight girls, faced the four blocks that were waiting in the Plaza de la Catedral. On the men’s side, everything started rosy for Alberto Ginés, who completely dominated the first block. But the third block, with a very pronounced collapse at the beginning, brought him upside down. “There was a balance that was practically impossible to overcome,” explained Alejandro Crespo, winner of the queen test after beating Olympic gold and Lluc Macia. The key to his victory was, in his words, “forget about the rest and focus on my own climbing.” The man from Extremadura received one of the great ovations of the afternoon as he was the first to complete a block, which drove the Oviedo public crazy.
“I was very nervous, especially at the beginning. I didn’t give up in the second block and the result couldn’t have been better,” said Iziar Martínez, the winner of the women’s draw. The 17-year-old climber was one of those who received the most applause from the public, which motivated her even more. “Every time I did a top people would scream and send me their energy, it was spectacular,” she noted. The athlete from Valladolid beat Aida Torres and Rut Monsech after a fierce fight between the three of them.