2006 World Cup Winners

Angela Eiter, Patxi Usobiaga, Jerome Meyer: after a year of intense competitions all over the world, finally had their moment of official acclamation: they are world champions!
Angela and Patxi respectively gained the female and male titles of the lead world championships, while Jerome finished on the highest podium in the bouldering World Cup. Worth mentioning are the excellent performances of Jorg Verhoeven, Sylvain Millet and of the Italian Luca Zardini, all in the first 15 places in the World Cup. 2nd place instead for  Kilian Fishhuber in the Bouldering World Championship.
Victory in the World Youth Championship for the very young Johanna Ernst (born in 1992) who wearing her Cobra shoes signs the prelude to a career which will surely be fulfilled.

It is with immense satisfaction that La Sportiva congratulates its own athletes for the prestigious results achieved.

We now let the winners speak for themselves.

JEROME MEYER:

2006 brought my third world cup, my aim since 2003, the year of my second cup. It is a kind of finishing line for me which encompasses enjoyment, hard work, and great battles with others. Thanks to all my partners who helped me so much in this.  A special thanks to La Sportiva who was the first firm to help me. Keep it up!

Jerome

PATXI USOBIAGA:

The only thing that I can say is that 2006 has been a year where I discovered that dreams are truly dreams, that one can dream with your eyes open, and above all that dreams can come true. On the first of January I usually set myself aims for the rest of the year.
I have always bet a dinner with my colleagues that I would win and I have always lost the bet...finally after 16 years of climbing it is my turn to pay for dinner!
It has been a year filled with magical moments, I achieved my dearest dreams, I climbed routes which brought me great movements and especially moments of great happiness. I traveled around Europe in search of the motivation which would allow me to give everything I had, and finally, after many sacrifices and effort, I achieved the best year of my sporting career.
I cannot find the words to express what I feel, all I can say is what I achieved is not only thanks to my efforts but also to the support given to me by my group. Thank-you with all my heart to La Sportiva who made it possible for me to dedicate myself to this passion and for helping me fulfill my dreams.
Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2007 full of great moments which we shall share together.

Patxi

ANGELA EITER:

This year has been very exciting and full of successes. I won the lead World Cup and the combined (rope and boulder). I am very happy for these victories. But not only: this year I also won the  “La Sportiva Competition” award. This trophy is very important for me because it helps me understand how many people appreciate my results.
I hope to keep healthy and fit for the next season.

Angela