The first medals of the IFSC Climbing Youth World Championships being held in Seoul, South Korea, were handed out with Japan staking their claim for top nation early.
At the Seoul Mountain Climbing & Culture Center, Japan secured seven medals – five in the Under 16 Lead category and two in the Under 18.
In the first finals of the 2023 competition, the Under 16 climbers took to the wall to start the medal rush for the Land of the Rising Sun, including a podium lockout in the men’s and a one-two in the women’s.
The men’s final went to form with the top eight in semi-finals left unchanged in the final results. It meant Hamada Ryusei claimed gold with the only top of the final. Second to fifth position all fell reaching for that top hold that Hamada made.
Nagamori Hareru and Toda Ryota of Japan, Jan Stipek of the Czech Republic and Luca Nundel of Germany all tied so countback to the semi-finals counted. It meant Nagamori got silver and Toda bronze with Stipek in fourth and Nundel fifth.
Hamada said: “I felt very nervous before climbing, but my goal was to catch the top hold, and I did it, so I’m so happy.”
Noh Hyunseung couldn’t quite get lifted enough by the home crowd and the South Korean finished in sixth overall. Bryce Nix was seventh, and completing the list was Austria’s Christian Leitner in eighth.
Full U16 men’s results here
Photo: Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC
Coming through the semi-finals in first, Japan’s Oda Natsumi continued her form to take the gold medal in the women’s Under 16 competition.
Oda said: “I couldn’t catch the top hold but I’m happy to win and get the gold medal.”
On 34+, Oda was two moves ahead of teammate Mugishima Kohana who took silver, and ten ahead of Spain’s Geila Macia Martin who spoiled the Under 16 Japanese podium party.
Macia Martin just edged out Austria’s Flora Oblasser by an attempt at hold 24. Ukraine’s Rafael Kazbekova was fifth ahead of Spain’s Julia Benach Zubero in sixth. Completing the final positions was Yamane Kaho of Japan in seventh and Analise Van Hoang of the USA in eighth.
Full U16 women’s results here
Photo: Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC
Moving onto the Under 18’s, it was third time lucky for France’s Meije Lerondel. Having twice taken Youth Worlds Lead silver in 2021 and 2022, the 2023 edition was finally time for her to stand on the top step of the women’s podium.
Reaching hold 26+, Lerondel had an agonising wait for six more athletes to make their attempts at overhauling her. No one could.
Lerondel said: “I feel amazing. I was second for two years in a row and now in first, so I feel amazing. I wasn’t expecting it at all. My climb wasn’t that bad but I thought two or three girls were going to pass over me, but no.”
The closest to the newly crowned champion’s score was South Korea’s Kim Chaeyeong who was just a plus move behind, unable to use the noise of the crowd to gain that vital move. Kim still secured silver though ahead of Japan’s Mochizuki Moka who took bronze.
Fourth place went to another Japanese climber, Yama Manami who was ahead of fifth placed Sarina Ghaffari from Iran and sixth placed Jennifer Eucharia Buckley from Spain.
Anastasiia Kobets of Ukraine was seventh and Noe Looser of Switzerland was eighth.
Full U18 women’s results here
Photo: Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC
Whilst there was a cheer for Kim’s silver, there was an even bigger one when Kwon Kibeom came out as the very last climber of the night in the men’s final and took gold in front of his home crowd.
Kwon said: “It’s an incredible day. I’ve trained very hard for this moment so thank you to everyone. Next it’s the Boulder. Let’s go! There was a big crowd which was very nice and I could hear the noise they were making for me.”
Another adding to the Japanese medal haul was Omata Shion who took silver. Omata was five holds back from Kwon on hold 34+ and was tied with Thailand’s Auswin Aueareechit and USA’s Declan Osgood.
The bronze medal was taken by Aueareechit due to his semi-final performance with the unlucky Osgood missing out in fourth.
Finishing fifth was Italy’s Riccardo Vicentini, Japan’s Ishizu Mototaka was sixth, South Korea’s Lee Hak Jin was seventh and Romania’s Darius Rapa was eighth.
Full U18 men’s results here
Photo: Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC
The action continues tomorrow with the start of Speed and the last Lead final of the 2023 Youth Worlds, the men’s and women’s Under 20.
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