Sean Bailey (climber)

Last updated
Sean Bailey
2019 Sport & Speed Open Nationals - Awards - Sean Bailey - 01.jpg
Bailey in 2019
Personal information
Born (1996-05-20) May 20, 1996 (age 28)
Shoreline, Washington, U.S.
Height163 cm (5 ft 4 in) [1]
Climbing career
Type of climber
Highest grade
Medal record
Event1st2nd3rd
World Cup 301
Men's competition climbing
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2021 Salt Lake City Bouldering
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2021 Villars Lead
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2021 Chamonix Lead
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2018 Vail Bouldering
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2022 Chamonix Lead
Pan American Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2023 Santiago Bouldering & Lead

Sean Bailey (born May 20, 1996) is an American professional rock climber, who specializes in competition climbing, sport climbing, and bouldering. He has represented the United States in the IFSC Climbing World Cup in lead climbing, [2] and has two podium finishes in bouldering at individual legs of the World Cup, including a win at the Salt Lake City leg of the 2021 World Cup.1 [3] and three in lead climbing, including two gold medals, at the Villars leg, [4] and Chamonix leg, [5] in July 2021.

Contents

Early life and youth competitions

Bailey was born in Shoreline, Washington [6] and began climbing at age 5 with parents, who were both climbers. [7] He began competing with the youth team at the Vertical World climbing gym and won the USA Climbing Sport Climbing Series Youth National Championship at age 17. [7]

Climbing career

Competition climbing

Bailey at the 2018 IFSC Climbing World Championships in Innsbruck Climbing World Championships 2018 Lead Semi Bailey (BT0A3943).jpg
Bailey at the 2018 IFSC Climbing World Championships in Innsbruck

At age 17, Bailey won the 2013 American Bouldering Series, the senior national bouldering competition series in the United States. [7]

Bailey has five IFSC World Cup podium finishes, first place in boulders at Salt Lake City in 2021 [8] and in lead at Villars [4] and Chamonix [5] in 2021, and second place at Vail in 2018. [9] Bailey finished the Lead World Cup season in second place overall. [10] In July 2022, he made his first podium finish of the 2022 IFSC Climbing World Cup series with a bronze medal in lead at Chamonix. [11]

In 2019, Bailey finished ninth at the Olympic qualifying event in Toulouse, one place short of securing a spot at the 2020 Summer Olympics, [12] and finished fourth at the 2020 IFSC Pan-American Continental Championships in March 2020, missing a place at the 2020 Olympics at his final opportunity. [13] In October 2023, He again came within one place of qualifying for the 2024 Olympics, finishing second at the 2023 Pan-American Games to Jesse Grupper, who took the second and last spot for American men in the boulder and lead combined category. [14]

Bailey also won the USA Climbing Lead National Championship (formerly USA Climbing Sport and Speed Nationals) in 2016, 2018 [15] and 2022, [16] and the 2019 Bouldering Nationals. [17]

World Cup rankings

Discipline2016201720182019202120222023
Bouldering—32223941819
Lead171218921130
Combined—25—25———

Sport climbing

In June 2016, Bailey sent Chris Sharma's Realization/Biographie , a 5.15a  (9a+) route in Céüse, France. [18] He sent another 5.15a in March 2019, Joe Mama in Oliana, Spain. [19]

In September 2021, Bailey sent Bibliographie , a 5.15c  (9b+) route just a few meters away from his previous project, Biographie, in Céüse. The route was first climbed by Alex Megos in 2020 and was repeated by Stefano Ghisolfi earlier in 2021. [20]

Bouldering

In October and November 2020, he sent two V16  (8C+) boulders: Box Therapy in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado [21] (downgraded to V15 by Brooke Raboutou in 2023 [22] ), and Grand Illusion in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. [23] Earlier that year, Bailey sent his first V15  (8C) boulder, Pegasus in Joe's Valley, Utah. [24]

In 2024, Bailey made the first ascent of Shaolin V17  (9A), in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. [25] The ascent was his first of the grade and the third V17 in the United States, after Daniel Woods' Return of the Sleepwalker and Shawn Raboutou’s Megatron. [26]

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References

  1. ↑ "2019 USA Climbing: Bouldering Open National Championships Finals". youtube. USA Climbing. February 2, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  2. ↑ Burgman, John (April 1, 2021). "USA Climbing 2021 National Team Trials: Highs and Lows". GymClimber.
  3. ↑ Berry, Natalie (May 31, 2021). "IFSC Boulder and Speed World Cup Salt Lake City 2021 (Round 2): Report". UKC. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Walker, Noah (July 3, 2021). "Team USA Dominates Finals in Villars World Cup". Gripped. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Sean Bailey and Laura Rogora Win Chamonix Lead World Cup". GymClimber. July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Sean Bailey". Outdoor Research. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Chrobak, Ula (March 13, 2018). "Generation 5.16: Sean Bailey". Climbing . Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  8. ↑ Burgman, John (May 30, 2021). "Americans Dominate World Cup: Sean Bailey And Natalia Grossman Take Gold". Climbing. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ Burgman, John (June 11, 2018). "Recap and Photo Gallery: IFSC Vail World Cup 2018—Bouldering". Climbing. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ Burgman, John (September 4, 2021). "Garnbret, Grossman Battle At World Cup Lead Finals". GymClimber. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  11. ↑ Hanlon, Luke (July 11, 2022). "SEAN BAILEY EARNS HIS FIRST CLIMBING PODIUM OF THE SEASON AT THE CHAMONIX WORLD CUP". teamusa.org. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Nathaniel Coleman is second athlete to qualify for U.S. Olympic sport climbing team". olympics.nbcsports.com. November 29, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ "IFSC PAN AM - CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (C) - LOS ANGELES (USA) 2020". International Federation of Sport Climbing. March 1, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  14. ↑ Potter, Steven (July 30, 2024). "Some of the World's Best Climbers Didn't Qualify for the Olympics. Here's What They're Doing Instead". Climbing. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  15. ↑ Burgman, John (March 20, 2018). "Highs and Lows: 2018 USA Climbing Sport and Speed Nationals". Climbing. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  16. ↑ Pardy, Aaron (November 14, 2022). "USA Lead Climbing National Champions Crowned in Colorado". Gripped. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  17. ↑ Burgman, John (February 4, 2019). "USA Climbing 2019 Bouldering Nationals: Highs and Lows". Climbing. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Sean Bailey blasts Biographie at Céüse". Planet Mountain. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Sean Bailey Sends Joe Mama 5.15a in Spain". Gripped. March 6, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Breaking News: Sean Bailey Sends Bibliographie 5.15c". Gripped. September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ "In RMNP, the first 8C+ for Sean Bailey!". up-climbing.com. No. October 19, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  22. ↑ Miller, Delaney (October 13, 2023). "Brooke Raboutou Sends 'Box Therapy'—She Called it V15". Climbing. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Sean Bailey Sends The Grand Illusion V16 in Utah". Gripped. November 3, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Vidéo : le monstre Sean Bailey dans "Pegasus" 8C". Grimper (in French). December 5, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Sean Bailey Climbs New V17 in the U.S.A." Gripped. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Sean Bailey joins Font 9A/V17 gang with first ascent of Shaolin". Climber. November 21, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
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