Hey,
This week I look back at the Para Climbing World Cup in Innsbruck.
We are 7.5 weeks away from the start of the Para Climbing World Championship in Seoul, South Korea.
The Para Climbing World Cup in Innsbruck was the second biggest event of the year, so it gives a good indication of who to look out for in Seoul. Some athletes are targeting a return to competition in Seoul after being out due to injury, including Australian Sarah Larcombe in women's AL2.
There were over 240 athletes registered for the event from 27 countries. There are 118 athletes registered across the eight LA28 Paralympic classes (four per gender).
Visually Impaired: B1, B2, B3
In men's B1, Sho Aita (Japan) won his 9th World Cup gold medal in Innsbruck on Tuesday. Francisco Javier Aguilar Amoedo (Spain) finished second for the eleventh time in a row in IFSC Para Climbing events. Nicolas Moineau (France) won the bronze medal on his return to Para Competitions.
In the women's B1 event, Nadia Bredice (Italy) continued her World Cup winning streak in Innsbruck. Tanja Glusic (Slovenia) won her second silver medal this year. Laila Grillo (Switzerland) won her third World Cup medal.
In women's B2, Seneida Biendarra won her second Para Climbing World Cup gold medal. Linda Le Bon (Austria) won the silver medal, her 6th World Cup medal. Luisa Grube (Germany) finished 3rd, winning her 2nd World Cup medal.
In the men's B2, Fumiya Hamanoue (Japan) won his 5th World Cup gold. Razvan Nedu (Romania) won his 13th World Cup medal, finishing second again behind Hamanoue. Guillermo Pelegrín Gómez (Spain) won the bronze medal on time.
In men's B3, Cosmin Florin Candi (Romania) topped the route to continue his winning record.Kazuhiro Minowada (Japan) finished 2nd, winning his 4th Para Climbing World Cup medal. Daniel-Bebe-Vasilică Andrei (Romania) finished 3rd to win his 5th World Cup medal.
In the women's B3, Phoebe Barkan (USA) won her second World Cup gold and first outside of the USA.Elsa Boutel Menard (France) won the silver medal.Linn Poston (USA) won the bronze medal.
Amputee: AL1, AL2, AU2, AU3
Angelino Zeller (Austria) won his 12th World Cup. He has won all but two Para Climbing events he has competed in. He has won the last 11 IFSC Para Climbing events he has competed in. His compatriot Markus Pösendorfer (Austria) finished second again. Matej Arh (Slovenia) won bronze: his first World Cup medal.
Because four women were registered, the women's AL1 event was run despite only 3 athletes not competing. Pavitra Vandenhoven (Belgium) won her fifth World Cup gold medal and third in Innsbruck. Andrea Wilson (USA) won the bronze, winning her first World Cup medal.
Lucie Jarrige (France) won her 12th World Cup gold medal and her 20th Para Climbing event. Fiamma Cocchi (Italy) won the silver medal, her first World Cup medal. Masako Watanabe (Japan) won her first World Cup medal in her 9th World Cup.
On the men's side, Thierry Delarue (France) continued his undefeated record, winning his 12th Para Climbing event and 7th World Cup. Albert Guardia Ferrer (Spain) won the silver medal, his 7th World Cup medal. Shuhei Yuki (Japan) won his 3rd World Cup bronze medal and first in Innsbruck.
Kevin Bartke (Germany) won the gold medal in AU2. This is his 6th World Cup win and 10th IFSC Para Climbing event win. He won on time ahead of Brian Zarzuela (USA) by 20 seconds. Isak Ripman (Norway) finished 3rd, winning his 7th World Cup medal.
Solenne Piret (France) beat Lucia Capovilla (Italy) to win the gold medal in the women's AU2 final. Piret has never lost a World Cup. Siloë Tetaz (France) won the bronze medal at her first World Cup.
Rosalie Schaupert (Germany) won her 6th World Cup gold medal in AU3 in Innsbruck. She is the one to beat in AU3 after winning the last 5 IFSC Para Climbing events she has competed in. Paula De La Calle Pizarro (Spain) won the silver. Oriane Ilipde (France) won the bronze medal in her first World Cup, aged 21.
Range and Power: RP1, RP2 and RP3
Melissa Ruiz (USA) won her fourth World Cup in RP1 ahead of Jackie Stewart (USA). Hannah Zook (USA) won the bronze medal to win her second World Cup medal.
In Men's RP1, Aloïs Pottier (France) won his 3rd World Cup in Innsbruck. Kim Rishaug (Norway) finished second, winning his fourth World Cup medal. Andries Hille Oudijk (Netherlands) won the bronze medal at his first World Cup.
In Men's RP2, Benjamin Mayforth (USA) won his first World Cup gold in 3 years. Brayden Butler (USA) won the silver medal, his fourth World Cup medal. Philipp Hrozek (Germany) won the bronze medal, his 5th World Cup medal.
Jasmin Plank (Austria) won her 7th World Cup gold medal in RP2. She had only won in Innsbruck in 2022. Emily Seelenfreund (USA) won her 3rd silver medal in Innsbruck. Sarah Longhi (Switzerland) won the bronze medal, her 3rd World Cup medal.
In RP3, Nat Vorel (USA) defended their Innsbruck title to win their 4th World Cup gold medal. Christiane Luttikhuizen (Netherlands), who won the silver medal, her 8th World Cup medal. Marina Dias (Brazil) fell one move lower than Christiane, winning the bronze medal.
Camille Caulier (Belgium) won his first gold medal in his 4th World Cup competing in RP3. He broke Tadashi Takano's (Japan) streak of six Para Climbing event wins. Igor Jean Silva Mesquita (Brazil) finished 3rd, winning his second bronze medal in his third World Cup.
The next IFSC Para Climbing event will be the World Championship in Seoul, South Korea.
News & Results
- The Youth World Championship in Helsinki started this week.streamed live on the IFSC YouTube channel without geo-restrictions.
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Matt Groom shares what it takes to create content for the IFSC from his time in Madrid.
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Where to Buy Tickets
IFSC Youth World Championships in Helsinki
When: 28th July–3rd August
Where: Finland
Where to buy tickets: Tickets are for:
Koper IFSC Lead World Cup
When: 4th–6th September
Where: Slovenia
Where to buy tickets: Tickets will be made available here (the ticket link currently does not work).Slovenia ticket seller eventim (Google Translate does a good job at translating Slovenia), if you buy a finals ticket at the moment, you get a semi-final ticket for free.
Seoul IFSC World Championships
When: 20th–28th September
Where: South Korea
Where to buy tickets: Tickets will be needed for the following (all indoor events):
- Paraclimbing Finals
- Speed Qualification and Finals - Women and Men
- Lead Semi-Finals and Finals - Women and Men
- Boulder Semi-Finals and Finals - Women and Men.
All other events are free of charge.platform was used last year for the Seoul World Cup.
Laval IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup
When: 23rd–26th October
Where: France
Where to buy tickets: You can buy tickets for the Para Climbing event and the Continental Speed event here.
I finished booking my flights to Seoul this week and I will be there from 18th to 29th September to cover both the Para Climbing World Championship and the able-bodied World Championship in full.
What would you like to hear about at the event?
Cheers,
Rory
