Mandurah indoor rock climber Michael Draper scaled the heights to claim a national title at the 2017 Australian Boulder Championships in Sydney over the weekend.
The 33-year-old literally hung on by a fingernail in his first ever national championships, taking out first place in the Men’s Open B division on his way to a gold medal.
Draper took the walls for nine climbs across the two days of competition, with the final coming down to a thrilling finish in which he was forced to overcome a last-minute slip.
Just barely clutching to the slope, Draper did just enough to finish his climb and take out top spot in the national rankings.
“All I could think of at that moment was to just keep my hands on the wall,” he said.
“I managed to find this tiny gap to get my fingernail into and it was just enough to let me hang on and finish the climb.
“When I found out I’d won was just an awesome feeling – I called my daughter and my family back home and it was a bit surreal.”
Amazingly, Draper has only been climbing for 18 months.
He took up the sport to help him recover from a broken back he suffered through a work injury, after being advised to strengthen his core muscles by specialists.
Together with his six-year-old daughter Jayda, the pair quickly developed a love for the sport at Mandurah Indoor Rock Climbing, where he now spends approximately 15 hours a week training.
“The thing I love most about climbing is probably the atmosphere around the sport – everyone wants to see everyone else doing well,” Draper said.
“Even people you’re competing against will cheer you on and it’s a really tight-knit group of people.
“My daughter loves coming to the gym and climbing as well so it’s a good way for us to spend time together, which helps.”
The national title holder will now turn his attention back to training, as he eyes a spot in the Open Men’s A competition in 2018.
“I had a few people come up to me and tell me I should be competing in the A comp, so I think that’ll be the aim for next year,” he said.
For more information on the sport or local competitions call Mandurah Indoor Rock Climbing on 9581 7465 or visit mandurahrockclimbing.com
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
