Introduction

Mel was a relative latecomer to the sport of climbing, starting at the ripe old age of thirteen - in fact, Mel’s appearance at the Paris Olympics will be in just his tenth year of climbing, so if there are any thirteen year olds out there who fancy competing at the 2036 Olympics, training starts today!

Mel has made headlines a number of times over the past few years, most notably for being the first South African to climb 9a (Speed Integrale in Switzerland), and for taking on South Africa’s Tokyo 2020 Olympian Chris Cosser in a challenge to see who could climb Snapdragon - a 7c+ route in Mel’s hometown of Waterval Boven - the most times in a day. Chris managed twenty-five, Mel, a whopping thirty-two times in ten hours.

In terms of the competition scene, Mel is relatively new to it, having competed in just five World Cup events since his senior debut in 2018. Speaking after he secured the Olympic ticket, Mel said that 2024 will be a good opportunity for him to build up that comp experience by competing at some of the early World Cups, so we’ll get a better chance to see what he might be capable of then.

Qualification route

IFSC African Qualifier Pretoria 2023: 1st Place (Boulder & Lead)

In a comp where multiple athletes topped out the Lead route, the Bouldering portion of the competition became all the more crucial - fortunately for Mel, he took the top spot, narrowly beating compatriot Chris Cosser, and claiming the ticket to Paris.

Trivia

Whilst Mel will be representing South Africa, he won’t have to travel too far for the Olympics as he’s currently studying Engineering in Lyon!

UKC prediction

15th-20th place

It’s going to be a big ask for Mel to make it into the top 15, he’s one of the least experienced climbers to have qualified so far, and is yet to register a finish in the Top 50 of an IFSC World Cup or World Championships. His compatriot Chris Cosser finished in 16th position last Olympics, so we think that a little one-upsmanship might be a good motivator for Mel to push for 15th.