The Graviteo A Coruña Xacobeo festival transformed the O Parrote waterfront into an open-air arena for extreme vertical sports, drawing thousands of spectators to witness elite athletes defy gravity across multiple disciplines.
Organized by La Opinión and Prensa Ibérica with support from local and regional entities including the Xunta de Galicia, the event showcased speed climbing, bouldering, parkour, and psicobloc over an action-packed 48-hour window.
Psychobloc Master Series Brings Deep-Water Soloing to O Parrote
The festival’s marquee event, the Psicobloc Master Series, drew persistent crowds asking how competitors could scale the towering structure without ropes. The extreme discipline features athletes climbing a 16-meter inclined wall with zero safety harnesses or ropes, utilizing the sea as their sole crash pad in the event of a fall.
American climber Chris Sharma, an internationally recognized pioneer of deep-water soloing and an ambassador for the Galician event, delivered a masterclass in the morning. The competition culminated under evening lights with official brackets that drew loud ovations from the waterfront audience.
Speed and Bouldering Champions Crowned in A Coruña
Away from the deep water, the International and Galician Open for speed climbing saw elite athletes from across Spain and Europe battle up a 15-meter vertical wall. Sarah Vouaux claimed victory in the women’s bracket with a time of 7.71 seconds, while Alejandro Rivas took the men’s title in 5.59 seconds. Local athlete Nora García Maestu secured the bronze medal for the host city.
In the bouldering finals for the Open Ciutat de la Corunya, Vladímir Babin and Elena Ferreiro—both representing the Agrupació de Muntanyencs Independents (AMI)—captured the absolute titles. The U15 cadet division saw Lía Queijeiro and Mateo Ríos take top honors, also representing AMI. Parallel competitions highlighted adaptive climbing, featuring standout performances from Paula Amado, Joaquín Suárez, Pablo Corrales, and Dani Blanco.
Parkour Finals Set for Sunday Morning
Urban acrobatics also drew heavy foot traffic to the O Parrote area, with parkour athletes battling through intense preliminary rounds.
The festival continues its schedule with the remaining national parkour title decisions, capping off an inaugural weekend that firmly established A Coruña on the international extreme sports calendar.
