PARACLIMBING QUALIFICATIONS WRAP UP IN SALT LAKE CITY

Thirteen Paraclimbing sport classes, for a total of 114 athletes from 18 countries, climbed the qualification routes of the first International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Paraclimbing World Cup of the 2023 season, taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, on 16 and 17 May.

Supported by a large and emphatic crowd that filled every available space at The Front Climbing Club, each athlete climbed a pair of top-roped routes, with the final ranking of each sport class being determined by a combination of the two scores.

Depending on the number of athletes that participated in the qualification round, then, either three or five climbers advanced to tomorrow’s final rounds.

Led by first-time Paraclimbing World Cup participant Seneida Biendarra – first in the women’s B3 event – the US home team moved a consistent group of athletes into the final rounds, including Elliot Nguyen, who placed second in the men’s RP1 sport class, Maureen Beck, first in the women’s AU2 event, and Melissa Ruiz, who finished second in the women’s RP2 one.

Lucie Jarrige of France and Angelino Zeller of Austria, who both won every World Cup they participated in in 2022, finished at the top of their respective ranking in the women’s AL2 and men’s AL1 classes.

Four-time world champion Aita Sho of Japan dominated the men’s B1, placing first in the qualification round and putting himself in the position to win his eighth gold medal out of eight IFSC events he competed in.

For the full results of the men’s B1 Lead click here.

For the full results of the men’s B3 Lead click here.

For the full results of the men’s AL1 Lead click here.

For the full results of the men’s AL2 Lead click here.

For the full results of the men’s RP1 Lead click here.

For the full results of the men’s RP2 Lead click here.

For the full results of the men’s RP3 Lead click here.

For the full results of the women’s B3 Lead click here.

For the full results of the women’s AL2 Lead click here.

For the full results of the women’s AU2 Lead click here.

For the full results of the women’s RP1 Lead click here.

For the full results of the women’s RP2 Lead click here.

For the full results of the women’s RP3 Lead click here.

Paraclimbing finals will commence tomorrow at 12:00 (UTC-6:00), and will be live streamed on the IFSC YouTube channel, on Eurosport, and on the Olympic Channel.

News and updates about the event will be available on the IFSC website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Weibo and Douyin.

Athletes of Austria and Switzerland pose at the end of Paraclimbing qualifications in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Photo: Slobodan Miskovic/IFSC