European gold stokes Milne's Olympic boulder dream

As the new European boulder champion, Max Milne has his sights firmly set on Los Angeles 2028 when the sport will make its stand-alone Olympic debut.

The 25-year-old from Aberdeen celebrated a career milestone when finishing top of the podium in Barcelona at the weekend.

"It's been a crazy few days," he told BBC Radio Scotland. "Winning that competition, then Spain winning the World Cup. The partying hasn't really stopped.

"My results in the past have shown I was capable of great things. Now I have a good flow and I'm setting my targets."

Chief among those is LA 2028.

Sport climbing was a test event at Tokyo 2020, with boulder, lead climbing and speed climbing all combined.

At Paris 2024 speed became a stand-alone medal competition while boulder and lead were grouped together.

In California in two years there will be three separate events.

"There are way more specialists, you can train for one discipline, which will raise the level," explained Milne.

"Having to compete in all three was really difficult for me. Now I just get to do what I enjoy and it's more fun."

With only 12 places available for the men's boulder at LA 2028, Milne admits "it's going to be tight" before adding: "The Olympics would mean everything.

"As a kid, before I got into climbing, I would practice in the garden, doing the long-jump, the javelin with sticks.

"Now climbing is in the Olympics it has opened up that dream again."

The sport is all about speed and quick decision-making.

Without the use of ropes or harnesses, it involves climbing short, tricky routes using balance, technique, strength and problem solving.

Athletes aim to get the top of as many routes as possible in as few attempts in the time given. Holds marked as zones come into play to influence the final score.

At Paris 2024, 25 points were awarded for reaching the top hold in a single attempt, referred to as a flash.

Ten points are given for successfully controlling the highest zone hold, five points for the first zone hold and 0.1 is deducted for each failed attempt before securing the hold.

The climbing is at a low level height above mats, with Milne admitting "often I end up landing on my head from five metres".