Friday Feat: Paraclimbing World Champion Matthew Phillips Does Massive Step-Up Dyno
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Matthew Phillips, from Guildford, United Kingdom, started climbing when he was 13. At first, his involvement with the sport consisted of a few birthday parties and “tester sessions,” but after he came in second at an impromptu competition, he was all in.
Now 19, Phillips has since qualified for Great Britain’s National Team and has won three out of the five World Cups he’s participated in (in the other two, he placed second). He’s also won the 2018 and 2019 World Championships. He attributes his success to having a supportive team and putting the work in to get better, he wrote. Robin O’ Leary, who started coaching in 2014, has also been a big help.
Although Phillips is perhaps best known for his comp climbing results, his true passion lies with the outdoors.
“I will always love outdoor climbing. It’s just so much more enjoyable to me and some of my better climbing experiences have been outdoors. That being said, comps have played a big role in my life, so they’ll always have a place in my heart,” he wrote.
Phillips tick list includes Chepito (7a/V6 ), Liquid Sun (f7a+/V4) and Ixtlan (E2 5b/5.10b).
For the future, Phillips is hopeful climbing will make it into the Paralympics.
Happy Friday everyone!
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