Simon Lorenzi

{{Infobox climber

| name = Simon Lorenzi

| nationality = Belgian

| image = 2022-08-12 European Championships 2022 – Sport Climbing Men's Lead by Sandro Halank–030.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Lorenzi in the competition lead climbing event at the 2022 IFSC Climbing European Championships

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|01|01|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Barchon, Blegny, Belgium

| death_date =

| death_place =

| education =

| occupation = Professional climber

| height = 168 cm{{cite web | url=https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php?option=com_ifsc&task=athlete.display&id=318 | title=Profile: Simon LORENZI | website=International Federation of Sport Climbing | date=2024 | accessdate=1 March 2024}}

| weight =

| apeindex = +12 cm

| typeofclimber = {{flatlist|

}}

| highestredpoint = {{Climbing grade|9a}}

| highestonsight =

| highestboulder = {{Boulder grade|V17}}

| knownfor =

| firstascents = {{ubl|Soudain Seul (V16/V17, 2023)|Big Conviction (V16, 2022)|Coup d'État ({{climbing grade|9a}}, 2020)}}

| namedroutes =

| majorascents =

| worlds =

| medaltemplates =

| show-medals =

| website =

| updated =

}}

Simon Lorenzi (born 1 January 1997) is a Belgian professional rock climber specializing in sport climbing, bouldering and competition climbing. Lorenzi is one of the very few climbers to have repeated a {{boulder grade|v17}} bouldering route, and the third climber to solve Burden of Dreams, the first-ever {{boulder grade|v17}} graded boulder route. Lorenzi also made the first ascent of Soudain Seul, a V16/V17 boulder.

Early life

Lorenzi was born in Belgium and started climbing at age 2 with his father Claude Lorenzi, who was one of Belgium's leading rock climbers of the 1990s, and who created Belgium's first {{climbing grade|8c}} graded sport climbing route, La traction universelle, in 1994.

Climbing career

=Competition climbing=

Lorenzi began his competition climbing career in 2010 when he "unexpectedly" won a Belgium Youth Cup competition. By 2016, he had won the gold medal in the Junior category at the IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships for competition lead climbing.

=Bouldering=

In February 2021, Lorenzi made the first ascent of Soudain Seul, a sit-start to Dave Graham's 2008 {{boulder grade|8C}} graded bouldering route in Fontainebleau called The Island, which was later extended by two small moves by Vincent Pochon in 2010 to become The Big Island, also at the {{boulder grade|8C}} grade. Soudain Seul was considered one of the "last great problems" in Fontainebleau. Lorenzi proposed a grade of {{boulder grade |V17}}, and at the time, the only other boulder in the world with such a grade was Nalle Hukkataival's 2016 problem, Burden of Dreams. Subsequent repeats by Nico Pelorson in 2021 and Camille Coudert in 2022 softened the likely grade to V16/V17.

In December 2022, he became the fourth climber to repeat Shawn Raboutou's 2022 problem Alphane, which has since become accepted as having a grade of {{boulder grade|v17}}. After completing Alphane, Lorenzi said that he felt Soudain Seul was at least as hard as Alphane.{{cite web | website=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/will-bosi-return-of-the-sleepwalker-v17/ | title=Will Bosi Gets Second Ascent of 'Return of the Sleepwalker'—Confirms V17 | first=Stephen | last=Potter | date=21 February 2024 | accessdate=21 February 2024}} In December 2023, he became only the third climber to repeat Burden of Dreams, the world's first-ever {{boulder grade|v17}} graded bouldering route.

Notable ascents

= [[Bouldering]] =

{{Boulder grade|V17}}:

Return of the Sleepwalker – Red Rocks, Nevada – March 2025. Fourth ascent.{{cite web | magazine=Gripped | url=https://gripped.com/news/simon-lorenzi-climbs-his-fourth-v17/ | title=Simon Lorenzi repeats 'Return of the Sleepwalker', his fourth 9A boulder | date=13 March 2025 | accessdate=17 March 2025 | first=Planet | last=Mountain}}
Burden of Dreams – Lappnor, Finland – 27 December 2023. Third ascent.{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/simon-lorenzi-burden-of-dreams/ | title=Interview: Simon Lorenzi Makes Third Ascent of 'Burden of Dreams' | date=2 January 2024 | accessdate=1 March 2024 | first=Stephen | last=Potter}}
Alphane – Chironico, Switzerland – 15 December 2022. Fourth ascent.{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/simon-lorenzi-alphane/ | title=Simon Lorenzi on Making the 4th Ascent of "Alphane" | date=17 December 2022 | accessdate=1 March 2024 | first=Stephen | last=Potter }}

{{Boulder grade|V16/V17}}:

Soudain Seul – Fontainebleau, France – February 2021. First ascent.{{cite web | website=PlanetMountain | url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/simon-lorenzi-talks-soudain-seul-9a-boulder-problem-fontainebleau-france.html | title=Simon Lorenzi talks Soudain seul, his 9A boulder problem at Fontainebleau in France | date=February 2021 | accessdate=1 March 2024}}{{cite web | website=PlanetMountain | title=Soudain Seul, the trailer of Simon Lorenzi's boulder at Fontainebleau | url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/soudain-seul-trailer-simon-lorenzi-boulder-fontainebleau.html | date=October 2021 | accessdate=1 March 2024}}{{cite web | url=https://hardclimbs.info/climbs/soudain-seul/ | title=Soudain Seul (V16/V17 - 8C+/9A): Is this the REAL 2nd V17? | website=HardClimbs | date=2024 | accessdate=2 March 2024}}

{{Boulder grade|V16}}:

Big Conviction – Fontainebleau, France – February 2022. First ascent.{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | first=Stephen | last=Potter | url=https://www.climbing.com/news/simon-lorenzi-burden-of-dreams/ | title=Simon Lorenzi Establishes Another V16 Low Start to Fontainebleau's Classic The Island. | date=1 February 2022 | accessdate=2 March 2024}}{{Cite web |title=Simon Lorenzi makes his Big Conviction 8C+ at Fontainebleau |url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/simon-lorenzi-makes-his-big-conviction-8c-plus-fontainebleau.html |website=PlanetMountain | date=January 2022 | accessdate=1 March 2024}}
Off the Wagon Low – Val Bavona, Switzerland – February 2022.{{Cite web |title=Simon Lorenzi repeats Off the Wagon Low 8C+ in Val Bavona, Switzerland |url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/simon-lorenzi-repeats-off-the-wagon-low-8c-plus-val-bavona-switzerland.html |website=PlanetMountain | date=November 2021 | accessdate=1 March 2024}}
La Révolutionnaire – Fontainebleau, France – February 2022.{{Cite web |magazine=Grimper |title=La Révolutionnaire, another 8C+ for Simon Lorenzi! |url=https://www.grimper.com/news-la-revolutionnaire-encore-8c-simon-lorenzi |date=22 February 2022 | accessdate=2 March 2024 |language=fr|trans-title=fr}}

{{Boulder grade|V15}}:

Foundation's Edge – Fionnay, Switzerland – September 2022.{{Cite web |last=Redaktion |date=2022-09-06 |title=Simon Lorenzi climbs Foundation's Edge (8C) at breakneck speed and targets Alphane (9A). |url=https://www.lacrux.com/en/bouldern/simon-lorenzi-climbs-foundations-edge-8c-at-breakneck-speed-and-sets-his-sights-on-alphane-9a/ |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=Lacrux Klettermagazin |language=en}}
Satan I Helvete Low – Fontainebleau, France – 2022.{{Cite web |title=Climbing History {{!}} Satan i Helvete (Bas) 8B+ |url=https://climbing-history.org/climb/2268/satan-i-helvete-(bas) |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=climbing-history.org}}
Power of Now direct – Magic Wood, Switzerland – 2021. First ascent.{{cite web | url=https://www.lacrux.com/en/bouldern/said-done-simon-lorenzi-climbs-the-power-of-now-8c/ | title=No sooner said than done: Simon Lorenzi climbs the Power of Now (8c) | date=13 July 2021 }}
The Big Island – Fontainebleau, France – 2020.https://www.8a.nu/news/the-big-island-8c-b+-by-simon-lorenzi
Dreamtime – Cresciano, Switzerland – January 2019. Lorenzi's first V15 boulder.

= [[Redpoint (climbing)|Sport climbing]] =

{{Climbing grade|9a}}:

Coup d'État – La Tranchée, Belgium – 28 June 2020. First ascent.https://www.8a.nu/news/coup-detat-9a-fa-by-simon-lorenzi
Action Directe – Waldkopf, Frankenjura (GER) – 2017.{{cite web|title=Simon Lorenzi enchaîne "Action Directe", son premier 9a !|trans-title=|periodical=|publisher=|url=https://www.climb2climb.be/news/outdoor/2759-simon-lorenzi-enchaine-action-directe-son-premier-9a|format=|accessdate=2017-05-15|last=Quentin Coster|date=|year=|language=fr-fr|pages=|quote=|archive-date=2017-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513080306/http://www.climb2climb.be/news/outdoor/2759-simon-lorenzi-enchaine-action-directe-son-premier-9a|url-status=dead}}

Rankings

= IFSC Climbing World Cup =

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

! style="background: #b0e0e6;" | Discipline

! style="background: #b0e0e6" | 2015

! style="background: #b0e0e6" | 2016

! style="background: #b0e0e6" | 2017

! style="background: #b0e0e6" | 2018

! style="background: #b0e0e6" | 2019

! style="background: #b0e0e6" | 2021

! style="background: #b0e0e6" | 2022

! style="background: #b0e0e6" | 2023

! style="background: #b0e0e6" | 2024

align="left" | Lead

| 75

| 69

| 38

| 72

| 41

| 93

| 35

align="left" | Bouldering

| 66

| 53

| 10

| 39

| 16

= Climbing World Championships =

Youth{{cite web | url=https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/world-competition/calendar/?task=resultathletes&event=953&result=9 | title=Official website of the International Federation of Sport Climbing }}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! style="background: #b0e0e6;" | Discipline

! style="background: #b0e0e6;" | 2016
Junior

align="left" | Lead

| style="background: gold;" | 1