FRANCE, ISRAEL, AND SPAIN TAKE GOLD IN THE MEN’S PARACLIMBING WORLD CUP IN INNSBRUCK

This evening saw the first IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup of the 2021 season come to a conclusion in Innsbruck, Austria.

Supporting team members in the Kletterzentrum fell silent as their visually impaired compatriots took to the wall in the men’s event, allowing athletes on the wall to hear their guides below. In Sport Classes B1 and B2 it was Team Spain that came out triumphant, with Francisco Javier Aguilar Amoedo and Raul Simon Franco achieving scores of 50+ and 44, thus placing first in their respective classes. Athletes competing under Sport Classes B1 to B3 are impaired visually and a lower number indicates a poorer visual acuity.

Taking the win in Sport Class AL2, which is categorised by lower limb impairment, was France’s Theirry Delarue. After winning a gold medal at the IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships Briançon 2019, Delarue was pinned as ‘one to watch’ in Innsbruck, and climbed into first place with a score of 44.

The French team was yet again victorious in the RP1 and RP3 classes, as Bastien Thomas, who also won gold at the 2019 championships, and teammate Mathieu Besnard placed first, respectively. Israel’s Mor Michael Sapir took the win in RP2, the moderate level of the RP classes relating to limb range and power, with RP1 being severe and RP3 mild. Thomas and Sapir concluded the men’s final as the only athletes to achieve tops, alongside Germany’s Kevin Bartke who took silver in RP2. Besnard closed the men’s RP3 final with a score of 44.

Full results from the men’s B1 Sport Class can be found here, with the podium line-up including:

• Francisco Javier Aguilar Amoedo (ESP)
• Razvan Nedu (ROU)
• Angelo Sebastian Simionescu (ROU)

Full results from the men’s B2 Sport Class can be found here, with the podium line-up including:

• Raul Simon Franco (ESP)
• Simone Salvagnin (ITA)
• Guillermo Pelegrín Gómez (ESP)

Full results from the men’s AL2 Sport Class can be found here, with the podium line-up including:

• Thierry Delarue (FRA)
• Albert Guardia Ferrer (ESP)
• Frederik Leys (BEL)

Full results from the men’s RP1 Sport Class can be found here, with the podium line-up including:

• Bastien Thomas (FRA)
• Angelino Zeller (AUT)
• Korbinian Franck (GER)

Full results from the men’s RP2 Sport Class can be found here, with the podium line-up including:

• Mor Michael Sapir (ISR)
• Kevin Bartke (GER)
• Isak Ripman (NOR)

Full results from the men’s RP3 Sport Class can be found here, with the podium line-up including:

• Mathieu Besnard (FRA)
• Jamie Barendrecht (NED)
• Gregor Selak (SLO)

France's Thierry Delarue competes in the IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria
Photo: Lena Drapella/IFSC