Introduction

French climber Capucine Viglione was born in Marseille and followed her older brother into the sport. She spent her teenage years between Paris and Voiron - two French climbing training hubs - and set her sights on Paris 2024.

Having become French National Champion in 2023, Capucine retained her title for the second year running after a close battle with fellow Paris 2024 compatriot Manon Lebon.

Although she has not yet medalled in an IFSC Speed World Cup, Capucine earned a clutch of medals in junior international events and won the IFSC Europe Continental Cup on home turf in Laval in 2022. Since making her first ⅛ final in 2018, Capucine has shown great consistency in not missing a Speed finals since. 

Qualification route

Olympic Qualifier Series - 7th place

Number 7 seems to be Capucine’s lucky Olympic number: she placed 7th in both rounds and 7th overall, setting a new PB of 6.68 seconds in Shanghai. After losing her quarterfinal round in Budapest, Capucine was in tears. She told the IFSC afterwards that she was convinced she hadn’t done enough. When her coach confirmed that she had, she kept crying. 

Trivia

Capucine was pictured with her Olympic ticket holding a photo of her and her brother as children. She told the IFSC: “This photo is of me and my brother Théo, he passed away two years ago. I started climbing because of him, and I promised myself I was going to go to the Olympics to honour his memory.”

UKC prediction

Capucine is in a cluster of athletes around the 6.50-6.70 seconds mark (she shares a PB with Rajiah Sallsabillah, in fact, which was also set in Shanghai). We estimate an 8th-14th place. But with her supportive family in tow in Paris - known collectively as the ‘KOP'UCINE’ - she could exceed our expectations.