SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Moscow (September 17, 2021):-The final act of the 2021 IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships went down at the Irina Viner-Usmanova Palace in Moscow, Russia, where 11 World Champion titles have been awarded in a long, emotional night.
As the only athlete to achieve a top, Japan’s Aita Sho (25) stole the show in the men’s B1 Paraclimbing final. Sho therefore added a fifth gold medal to his collection, winning 100% of the international Paraclimbing competitions he has competed in.
Romania’s Razvan Nedu took the silver medal with a score of 35+, with Great Britain’s Jesse Dufton completing the podium in third place after reaching hold 23.
HAMANOUE BAGS GOLD IN MEN’S B2
In the men’s B2 Paraclimbing final, 31-year-old Fumiya Hamanoue of Japan took the top spot on the podium with a score of 40+, upgrading his bronze medal from the 2018 World Championships to a glittering gold in Moscow.
Great Britain’s Richard Slocock took silver, followed by Spain’s Raul Simon Franco who finished in third place. The pair both closed the competition with 38+, though Slocock placed above Simon Franco due to ranking first in the qualification round.
SECOND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FOR ZELLER
Austria’s Angelino Zeller (25) fought to retain his title of World Champion in the men’s RP1 Paraclimbing final, taking the win with 39+. Zeller ranked first in the IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships Briançon 2019, and has had a successful year so far after placing on the podium at the 2021 world cups in Briançon and Innsbruck. The USA’s Tanner Cislaw finished in second place with a score of 26+, whilst Germany’s Korbinian Franck placed third with 18+.
MORE MEDALS FOR MOR MICHAEL SAPIR
Mor Michael Sapir (30) of Israel added a fourth gold medal to his trophy cabinet in the men’s RP2 Paraclimbing final. Having topped the final route, Sapir secured his eighth international podium position since 2016 – his second World Championship podium after taking silver in 2019.
With a score of 45, the USA’s Benjamin Mayforth took the silver medal, and France’s Bastien Thomas ranked third with 39+.
FOURTH CONSECUTIVE WORLD CHAMP WIN FOR FRANCE’S ROMAIN PAGNOUX
France’s Romain Pagnoux (34) and Mathieu Besnard (35) each obtained a score of 27+ in the men’s RP3 Paraclimbing final. As the pair tied in the qualification round, their ranking was finalised based on their time to complete the final route. Ultimately, it was Pagnoux that took the victory, securing the World Championship title he has held since 2016. Besnard closed in second place, climbing atop the podium for the eighteenth time in his career. Iran’s Iman Edrisi, who tied with the gold and silver medallists in the qualification round, placed third with a score of 23+.
THIERRY DELARUE TRIUMPHANT IN MEN’S AL2
In the men’s AL2 Paraclimbing final, France’s Thierry Delarue (43) triumphed with a score of 23+. Delarue thus maintained his World Championship title, having also placed first during the 2018 and 2019 IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships.
Belgium’s Frederik Leys placed second with a score of 16+, matched by Japan’s Shuhei Yukei, who ranked third due to a lower score than Leys in the qualification round.
TOP OF THE PODIUM FOR PHILLIPS
With a score of 44+, Great Britain’s Matthew Phillips (20) was victorious in the men’s AU2 Paraclimbing final. A gold medal in Moscow seals the third World Championship title for Phillips, who has earned a podium position in all eight of the international Paraclimbing competitions he has participated in.
Brian Zarzuela of the USA achieved second place with 35+, followed closely by Germany’s Kevin Bartke with a score of 35.
ROBINSON’S THREE-PEAT
In the opening women’s B2 event, Great Britain’s 23-year-old Abigail Robinson added the third, consecutive gold medal to her collection, prevailing over Austria’s Edith Scheinecker and Italy’s Nadia Bredice, who respectively placed second and third. The last climber to approach the route, Robinson was the only one able to secure the top hold, with Scheinecker closing with the score of 40+, and Bredice with 35.
VANDENHOVEN KEEPS HER 2021 WINNING STREAK ALIVE
Belgian rising star Pavitra Vandenhoven (22) put up another spectacular performance, pocketing her first ever World Championships gold medal in the women’s RP1 Paraclimbing event.
Vandenhoven – gold medalist at this year’s Paraclimbing World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, and Briançon, France – secured hold number 37+, slightly ahead of the Netherlands’ Eva Mol, who won silver with 34+. The podium was completed by Spain’s Marta Peche Salinero, bronze medal winner with the score of 13+.
TRIPLE CROWN FOR SOLENNE PIRET
France’s multi-decorated climber Solenne Piret (23) brought another trophy to her showcase, ruling the women’s RP2 Paraclimbing final and jumping on the first step of the podium for the fourth time in the last four years. Indeed, Piret had won gold at the two latest Paraclimbing World Championships – Innsbruck 2018 and Briançon 2019 – to which, in 2021, she added two World Cup gold medals.
Great Britain’s Leanora Volpe followed in second position with 39, while Italy’s Lucia Capovilla struggled midway through the route and took third place with 21.
LUCIE JARRIGE POCKETS FRANCE’S FOURTH TITLE OF THE NIGHT
The conclusive women’s RP3 event, once again, finished with the French tricolour waving from the highest flagpole, thanks to Lucie Jarrige’s fourth World Championship victory. The 30-year-old athlete climbed all the way up to the top hold, preceding Great Britain’s Martha Evans – second with the score of 33+ – and Austria’s Katharina Ritt – third with 29+.
MEDAL TABLE
1. France: four golds, one silver, one bronze;
2. Great Britain: two golds, three silvers, one bronze;
3. Japan: two golds, one bronze;
4. Austria: one gold, one silver, one bronze;
5. Belgium: one gold, one silver;
6. Israel: one gold;
7. United States of America: three silvers;
8. Netherlands: one silver;
8. Romania: one silver;
10. Germany: two bronzes;
10. Italy: two bronzes;
10. Spain: two bronzes;
13. Iran: one bronze.
REMEMBERING MELINDA VIGH
Shortly before the award ceremonies took place, the Paraclimbing family gathered together to mourn the recent loss of three-time Paraclimbing World Cup medallist Melinda Vigh, the Hungarian climber that tragically lost her life on 7 August.
The emotional moment closed with the speeches of IFSC President Marco Scolaris, the Chair of the IFSC Paraclimbing Committee Sebastian Depke, and Melinda’s dear friend Lucia Capovilla of Italy.
The 2021 Paraclimbing season will conclude in Los Angeles, USA, where the third World Cup of the season is scheduled to take place on 9 and 10 October.
