Introduction

He may only have one podium position to his name, but Matteo Zurloni showed he had the goods when it mattered by claiming the top spot at the World Championships in Bern. Whilst his new PB of 5.02 seconds isn’t quite a world-leading time, it is a European record, and could be enough to challenge even the very best that the sport has to offer.

That single senior World Championships podium also doesn’t quite do justice to Matteo’s ability. At twenty-one, and with ten top five finishes across Youth Cups, Continental Cups, and World Championships combined, Matteo knows what’s needed to go deep in a competition, and - as the winner of the Bern World Championships - has to be considered a contender in Paris.

Qualification route

IFSC World Championships Bern 2023: 1st Place (Speed)

Matteo peaked with a PB time of 5.02 seconds in the quarter finals, before a false start from Jinbao Long in the final handed Matteo the top spot and a ticket to the Paris Olympic Games.

Trivia

Despite being slightly lucky in his route to winning the World Championships in Bern - Jinbao Long had a false start in the final, and Rahmad Adi Mulyono slipped in the semi-final - Matteo’s 5.02 seconds was the fastest time of the whole competition.

UKC prediction

5th place

He may have won the World Champs, but Matteo doesn’t quite have the competition experience that we’d expect from an Olympic Champion - although neither did Alberto Ginés López in 2020! We think that the Olympic Qualifier series might see some more experienced athletes enter the pack, and that those athletes will push Matteo just outside of the medals.