Brothers are at the top of their game

BETWEEN them they have racked up an array of national titles, despite being just 12 and 15 years old.

Brothers William and Alexander Bosi have reached the dizzy heights of success by becoming Scottish and British champions in rock climbing.

William, 12, is even hoping to take his achievements further next year by competing for European and world titles.

The youngster, a pupil at Broughton High School, has already clocked up the titles of British Champion, for boys aged 11 to 13, in the Youth Climbing Series and Scottish Youth Climbing Champion this year. His 15-year-old brother Alexander was crowned British Speed Climbing Champion for under-16s just last week at a competition at Ratho, breaking his own personal best by scaling the 20-metre high wall in just 14.5 seconds. Their mum, Alison Bosi, 41, said: “I’m very proud of them.

“I find it quite nerve-wracking to watch them compete, but it’s nice when they do well and it shows that their hard work and effort has paid off.”

The brothers first started climbing around six years ago at Alien Rock indoor climbing centre in Newhaven. They fell in love with the sport and started going to the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena at Ratho, where they joined the Quickdraw Climbing Club.

Their passion for climbing has become a full-blown family affair, with parents Alison and Martin going along to their training four times a week.

Mrs Bosi, a nursery nurse from Inverleith, said: “I climb a little, very badly though.

“I tend to be the one holding the rope at the bottom.”

William, who wants to pursue a career in rock climbing, has been selected for the Great Britain Climbing team and hopes to be chosen to compete in the European Youth Cup Series and the World Youth Climbing Championships in Singapore next year.

Alexander, a pupil at Stewart’s Melville College, wants to focus on his passion for speed climbing, although there is no British speed team at the moment.

Mrs Bosi said: “They have both climbed outdoors as well, where they have to be able to risk assess. It does teach responsibility and looking out for other people. It’s given them confidence as well.

“When you top out on a climb, you get a real buzz.”

The boys have already competed abroad, with the most recent events taking them to Austria and Italy.

If William is chosen to compete for Great Britain next year, the family will find themselves embarking on even more foreign travel for the sport.

Mrs Bosi added: “William really hopes he will be selected for the European series and the World Youth championships, which will involve quite a lot of travel.

“For Alexander, there isn’t a British speed team at the moment so he is just going to keep training and we may look and see if there are some open competitions that he can do.

“He would love to be able to climb and take the speed to another level.”

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