In the first day of two finals for the Para climbers, ten sport classes crowned their champions and awarded the first medals of the IFSC Climbing and Para Climbing World Championships Seoul 2025.
AU SPORT CLASSES
Germany’s Kevin Bartke completed his World Championships medal set by taking gold in the men’s AU2. Climbing to hold 35+, Bartke secured the win ahead of silver medallist Eduardo Miguel Schaus of Brazil who got to hold 33+ and bronze medallist Brian Zarzeula of the USA who was on hold 33.
Talking about his win Bartke said: “It’s amazing. I’ve been waiting quite a few years for this title so I am overwhelmed I would say. I’ve been second and third, so now I have a full set of medals.”
On the route final Bartke said: “The route was more sustaining than I saw from the ground, it looked a bit more easy than it actually was. There was a bit of a ‘bouldery’ section towards the end of the steep part and the beginning of the head wall, so I got pretty pumped all of a sudden.”
Great Britain’s Sebastian Musson finished fourth on hold 23+.
AL SPORT CLASSES
Angelino Zeller led an Austrian one-two in the mixed AL1 final with teammate Markus Pösendorfer joining him on the podium. Zeller climbed to hold 47+ for his fourth world title and Pösendorfer climbed to hold 42+. Slovenia’s Matej Arh rounded out the podium with the bronze climbing to hold 42.
Belgium’s Pavitra Vandenhoven finished fourth on hold 37+.
B SPORT CLASSES
Japan’s Aita Sho secured his sixth world title winning the men’s B1 competition. Aita hit hold 38+ with Spain’s Francisco Javier Aguilar Amoedo his nearest rival on hold 36 for silver. France’s Nicolas Moineau took bronze on hold 28+.
Italy’s Simone Salvagnin finished fourth on hold 24.
There was another Japanese winner in the women’s B1 as Aoki Hiromi took gold reaching hold 39+.
After her win Aoki said: “I’m very happy. I wasn’t expecting it, but I was 50-50 coming into the final after my qualification round where I thought I was climbing well. The end of the route was so hard though, I was so tired.”
Joining Aoki on the podium was Italy’s Nadia Bredice who got to hold 37 for silver and Slovenia’s Tanja Glusic who took bronze on hold 24+.
Romania’s Razvan Nedu rose highest in the men’s B2 beating two Japanese climbers to the gold medal. Nedu’s gold was from reaching hold 36+ with Ejiri Motohiro taking silver on hold 28+ and Hamanoue Fumiya taking bronze on hold 24.
For the B2 women, it was USA’s Seneida Biendarra who was a step above reaching hold 53 for her gold medal and world title. It is Biendarra’s first world title after taking silver in Bern 2023 at the last World Championships. Austria’s Linda Le Bon and Germany’s Luisa Grube both reached hold 37+, but thanks to her stronger qualification performance it was Le Bon who took the silver with Grube taking the bronze.
France’s Melissa Cesarone was fourth on hold 35.
The men’s B3 was a straight shootout between Romania and Japan for the medals with two climbers from each country contesting the final, and it was Romania who came out on top winning the gold with Cosmin Florin Candoi on hold 40, and teammate Daniel-Bebe-Vasilicǎ Andrei winning bronze on hold 33+. Minowada Kazuhiro took silver on hold 35+.
Kawamura Takumi was fourth on hold 28.
USA’s Linn Postin pleased the crowd by reaching the top of the final route and was the only climber of the day to do so. Her top secured her the gold and the world title. Postin’s teammate Phoebe Barkan reached hold 56 for a silver and France’s Elsa Boutel Menard reached hold 46+ for bronze.
Japan’s Maeoka Mika was fourth on hold 39+.
RP SPORT CLASSES
There were two USA world champions in the RP classes with Melissa Ruiz winning in the women’s RP1 and Brayden Butler in the men’s RP2.
Ruiz reached hold 34 for her gold medal ahead of silver medallist Eva Mol from the Netherlands who was on hold 31+ and bronze medallist Hannah Zook from the USA on hold 30+.
Switzerland’s Doris Rohner was fourth on hold 24 and USA’s Jackie Stewart was fifth on hold 22+
After winning in the men’s RP2 Butler said: “I’m blessed. I’m so happy I got the opportunity to come out here and show what I have been training for. Yes, it’s about trying to win but it’s also about showing the para climbers and RP2 climbers can climb hard and display strength, that’s my goal.
“I think everyone in my category does a great job at that and I am just honoured to climb next to these guys and compete and luckily today it worked out and I was able walk home with the gold medal which was my exact goal I had in mind. I’m feeling out of this world right now.”
India’s Manikandan Kumar was second taking silver on hold 36+ and Germany’s Philipp Hrozek was third for the bronze on hold 36.
USA’s Benjamin Mayforth was fourth on hold 23+.
The Para Climbing World Championships will conclude tomorrow as the final eighth sport classes will contest their finals.