This time last year, Erin McNeice was not a name known to many in the competition climbing world and its following. Few would have predicted that in just twelve months, she would become an Olympic finalist, a World Cup bronze medallist and a YouTuber with an ever-growing following. Despite having won the British Lead Climbing Championship, CWIF and Plywood Masters titles in recent years, Erin's talent and potential had largely flown under the radar in the UK and beyond.

Born in Norwich, Erin began climbing in the UK at age five. When she was eight, her family moved to Malaysia for four years. On returning to the UK aged 11, she took part in local competitions, the BMC Youth Climbing Series and was selected for the junior GB Climbing Team at 14 years old. While she did not achieve international podium results at junior level, her consistency and steady improvement earned her a place on the senior team at age 17. With Paris 2024 on the horizon, she made a decision to defer university and train full-time — a choice that soon paid off, resulting in Olympic qualification and a 5th place on the world's biggest sporting stage.

Equally adept at both Boulder and Lead and as competent in dynamic coordination as she is in slow, technical movements, Erin is a rare breed in a sport that demands consistency and a wide repertoire of skills. So consistent is she that she achieved a 100% top-ten-finish streak in 2024 and an almost perfect finals streak, barring one close result. Erin is rarely fully satisfied with her performances, taking an analytical approach to training; she is a perfectionist and her own harshest critic, always seeking areas for improvement.

Despite her rapid rise from unknown quantity to dark horse and one-to-beat, 20-year-old Erin remains refreshingly modest — at times appearing surprised by her own ability and overwhelmed by the attention it brings, all the while refusing to overstate her achievements. As IFSC commentator Matt Groom once remarked: "She does her talking on the wall."

In January, Erin claimed her first-ever national bouldering title with a dominant performance at the British Bouldering Championships, flashing all four final boulders. She followed up last weekend with another British Lead Climbing Championship title, marking a strong start to the 2025 competition season. 

We sent Erin "McBeast" - as she is known on Instagram - some questions about her breakout year and the dedicated training schedule that led up to it, how she keeps motivated for climbing (alongside her passion for Pokémon GO) and her plans for the year - and Olympic cycle - ahead...

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When and where did you first try climbing?

I was five when my parents took me to a little climbing gym called Revolution in Broadstairs, which also doubled as a skatepark.

Your dad climbed at university. How did his experience of climbing encourage and influence you?

It was more his experience in sport that influenced me. He always encouraged me to do sport and take pride in my strength.

You were quite sporty before you started climbing. Do you think practising other sports was beneficial to your climbing?  

Yes, I did loads of sports as a kid. In the UK I was doing skateboarding and gymnastics, and in Malaysia I was doing more triathlons. I think it helped with my general fitness and specific skills. But above all, it just made me confident in sports in general (and that included climbing).

How did you find making the step from junior to senior level competitions in your first IFSC season (2022)? 

Hard. I only did a few senior competitions in 2022, but it was still blatantly obvious that I was not at the level.

You decided to concentrate on training to make Paris rather than go to university. Was that a difficult decision to make at the time?

It was a very difficult decision, but also a very obvious decision to me. I love education, but I knew my main priority would have to be climbing if I wanted to achieve my goals. I could try doing both, but I know I'd be dissatisfied with my progress in either. 

You qualified for the Olympic Qualifier Series last summer due to your results in 2023, which was your second senior year (but first full season). What did you learn from gaining this experience across a full season — was there a turning point where you realised you were on the right track?

I was really consistent at boulder during the season and I did make one World Cup semi-final, but I was consistently not quite good enough to progress to the next round. And in lead I wasn't really close to the standard at all. If anything, the season taught me that I wasn't at the level and I needed to work harder in the 2023 off season.

How did you approach training for the Olympic Qualifier Series and the 2024 season as a whole? 

Brutally. It was hard because there was not one major area of weakness. Everything just needed to be a bit better.

What was your strategy to peak for this summer?  

I didn't have semis and finals experience until this year, so I wanted to do a few competitions to learn as much as possible before the summer. But I also needed time to train on the weaknesses I had highlighted from those competitions, so I could go into the Olympics feeling super confident and strong.

Did you have any idea of how well your form might compare to others ahead of the first 2024 World Cups in China, where you made finals in both Boulder and Lead? Did you believe that you could qualify for Paris at this point?

I was feeling the strongest and best I'd ever felt, but obviously I had no idea what level I was at compared to other athletes going into the 2024 season. I wasn't expecting a finals place in either. After the China World Cups, I knew I was theoretically at the level to qualify for the Olympics, but I was so scared of being complacent in the month I had before the qualifiers. So my coaches and I identified some weaknesses from the competitions that we then focused on.

After your bronze in the Shanghai Olympic Qualifier round, you were clearly in good stead for a quota place. How did you handle the pressure of these events, and how did it feel to finally qualify?

I think the pressure was different at either event and it was almost worse in Budapest, the second and final round of the series. I'd put myself in a really good place but it still wasn't a given. I had a little panic at the start of the event with Boulder qualification not going well, so it felt absolutely amazing to qualify. I can't really describe it, it was pretty unbelievable.

Before Paris, what was your main aim? Did you believe that you could make finals (we did!)?

My main aim was to perform my best and enjoy it. I knew it would be ridiculously hard to make finals so I wouldn't say I was expecting it, but I did believe it could happen.

What was it like to compete at an Olympics with a full GB Team and a very successful one at that? 

I don't think anyone was expecting GB to be one of the most successful nations for Sport Climbing at the Olympics, but it's so cool we were! And it was wonderful to share such a big stage with my teammates.

Do you have a favourite moment from the Games?

The moment I found out I had done enough to make finals. My family and friends ran over to hug me. I could not believe that me, Erin McNeice, had just made the Olympic finals. It did not compute in my brain, but it was easily one of the best moments of my life.

In the first IFSC events post-Paris (Koper, Prague, Seoul), you had high expectations and were gunning for your first IFSC medal. How did those events feel mentally and physically after Paris, and what clicked in Seoul to earn you your first medal (was it anything in particular or just everything aligning?)

I was definitely a little bit worn out and feeling the long season, especially by Seoul. After the Olympics, I wanted a medal so badly, so being appealed out of Boulder finals in Prague felt pretty brutal. But I decided to go into Seoul with no pressure; I'd get a medal at some point and there's no rush. In Boulder finals, it was absolutely not a perfect performance but I'm so happy that it was enough for a medal. Getting a World Cup medal felt like such a far off dream less than a year ago and I still can't really believe I've got one.

How did it feel to go from being an unknown to a dark horse, becoming a consistent final-maker and medal contender with lots of fans? Did you feel pressure, and if so how did you handle that?

At first, I was so scared of my first few good results just being a fluke. So even though people didn't really expect me to perform, I felt loads of pressure from myself to get a good result. I think I'm better at handling the pressure now. Sometimes I'm going to have bad performances and that's okay. And I think my "fans" (that feels weird to say) understand that and are supportive. I really feel like people are rooting for me, which means the world to me.

In Paris, you told me: "I think that after every single comp I do this year, the areas to work on are getting more niche." You are also very analytical in your post-competition YouTube debriefs. What were the most important lessons you learned this year - technically, tactically or physically (and mentally?) 

Mentally, the season taught me the attitude that I went into 2024 with was the best I've ever had. It also gave me some much needed confidence and belief that I could bring into the next competitions. 

Physically, a lot of the debriefs identified that my power and 'burl' has a long way to go.

You say that you get 'super powers' when competing in Asia. How long did you live in Asia and where, and what do you enjoy about competing there? 

I lived in Hong Kong for a little bit, and then Malaysia as well for just over three years. I love the culture and the food, and I also think the crowds are super invested, which is really nice. I think when I compete there I'm just in my happy place so I enjoy it and end up performing really well.

Would you like to spend some time training there?

Absolutely. I'm really angling for a couple of weeks in Japan sometime before the 2025 competition season.

You work closely with GB Climbing Performance Development coach Rachel Carr (UKC interview). How has she and GB Climbing helped you with your training and competition performance?

Rachel has a massive depth of understanding when it comes to movement (amongst other things). She also understands my limits really well, which allows her to push me really hard without breaking me. On top of that, she helped a lot with changing my attitude and is always there to remind me on a bad day that I'm actually alright at climbing. It seems like an added bonus that I get on well with her and really look forward to travelling and competing with her alongside me. 

Ollie Torr and Tom Parkington consistently find ways to push me and make sure I don't become accustomed to the training, as well as my dad constantly nitpicking and finding weaknesses I didn't know existed. GB Climbing have provided me numerous opportunities to refine my skills. It's elite sport and, for me, I like to feel pushed and tested whilst also being happy. I think GB Climbing does this well. The GB coaches are a vital part of the process as well. Liam Briddon does a good job of making the environment really positive. It's only worth it if you're having fun. 

So many people helped me get to where I am today, and I only hope we can share more successes together in the future.

You are very equally matched in both Lead and Boulder, and on both dynamic and static moves across a range of styles. Has this always been the way? How do you find a balance in training?

It's definitely not always been the way. I used to be pretty bad at jumps, and my boulder used to be significantly better than my lead. I think in training, I've learnt to trust my instincts more. If I feel like I'm not doing enough of a certain discipline or style, then I'll feed that to the coaches and my training plan can be altered. I've also found that constantly pushing the boundaries of my comfort on moves means I'm never getting complacent in training.

Your brother is also a climber and edits your YouTube videos. You have an entertaining sibling dynamic, with plenty of teasing! [Erin: "I can't hold that hold!" Callum: "You're a professional climber. You should be able to hold holds!"] What's it like to have family members whom you can train and travel with?

My brother is now one of my housemates so I do train with him quite a lot. He has a talent for making up climbs that I'm not very good at, which is both incredibly useful and frustrating. He and my parents both follow the competition circuit really closely, so it's really nice to be able to talk to people about my experiences at the competitions. 

You seem to have struck a good balance of taking training seriously, but also making it fun. How do you manage to achieve this balance, and is it difficult at times?

I've achieved it through years of taking it too seriously and not having enough fun. I still haven't mastered it by any means. Being critical of myself has really helped me to progress, but sometimes it is unhelpful and not beneficial to my sessions. It's definitely hard to find a balance. When I started spending 7-9 hours at a wall every day I realised that this is only going to be possible if I actually try to enjoy not only the good bits but also the bad bits.

What advice would you give to a young competition climber with an ambitious long-term goal? 

Take it one step at a time. The journey isn't going to be linear, so don't get disheartened if it's not going the way you thought it was going to go. Enjoy the process as much as you can.

Why did you decide to start a YouTube channel, and what do you hope people take away from your videos? 

I'm really shy and sometimes I think I have a reputation for being a bit of a robot. The YouTube channel is a way for me to talk about my competitions and my climbing in the most 'me' way possible, if that makes sense. I talk about the big important things and I talk about the small 'insignificant' things, and the fact that people enjoy my silly videos makes me really happy. 

You recently moved to Sheffield. What prompted the move?

Sheffield has an abundance of gyms and is close to other cities with good climbing gyms (Leeds, Manchester etc.). All of my coaches are based very close to Sheffield. The more time I can spend with them, the more progress I think I can make.

You climbed outdoors a bit growing up, but do you have any rock climbing plans for alongside or after your competition career?

I'm keen to try a few routes outside after the 2025 competition season and I'm looking forward to deciding what they might be. It will be interesting to see how well I can translate my skills and experience on plastic to real rock, and how I cope with potentially having to project a route.   

Looking ahead to LA28: you were in LA recently, did it motivate you even more for the next Games (despite the Bertie Bott's beans!)?

I am very motivated for the LA Games, and I really enjoyed my recent trip to LA. Although the beans were hard to swallow.

If the disciplines are split in LA, would you do both Lead and Boulder or focus on one? 

I'm honestly not sure which discipline I'd pick, so I think I would have to do both!

Which are you more proud of: a 100% top-ten-finish streak in 2024 (and an almost 100% finals streak bar one close result in Prague!) or your best Pokémon GO catches? Which catch is the equivalent of your overall performance this year? 

Is that even a question? I've got an absolutely mega Arcanine. 

A Zapdos has run away from me on two occasions now. But I reckon if I caught one, that would be the equivalent of my 2024 season. Unexpected but absolutely awesome!

What's next for you and generally in 2025?

I had a few weeks off but I'm eager to get stronger, so I've begun winter training. I'm hoping to do most of the 2025 World Cup season, and really looking forward to World Championships!

Follow Erin on Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

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Since this interview took place, Erin has won both the British Bouldering Championships and the British Lead Climbing Championships.