Japan Ranks First, U.S. Second at Youth World Championships

The 2017 IFSC Youth World Championships finished up last weekend after 12 days of climbing at the Kletterzentrum Innsbruck in Austria. This year there were 1,172 athletes from ages 14 to 19, representing 50 countries and five continents. In each age category—Juniors (18-19), Youth A (16-17) and Youth B (14-15)—the young athletes could compete in bouldering, lead climbing and speed climbing.

In the bouldering and lead categories the climbers with the top 25 scores qualified for semifinals, and from there the top six scores went on to finals. In the speed category, the top 16 scores went on to finals. After four elimination rounds, the last two climbers race against each other for first place. The lead and bouldering events used standard onsight format.

Claire Buhrfeind, from Team U.S.A, took first place in both the female junior bouldering and lead climbing categories, and fourth place in speed. Her overall performance also earned her fifth in the combined junior female category—a ranking based on the scores of all three events, similar to how sport climbing in the 2020 Summer Olympics will be. Fellow American climber Margo Hayes, who placed fifth in lead, came in third place in the combined ranking.

Also representing the U.S., Ashima Shiraishi took first in both lead and bouldering for female Youth A, as well as second in the combined category. Kai Lightner took third in lead and fourth in speed for the male junior age group, putting him in third place for the combined male juniors.

In the overall medal count, Team U.S.A. ranked in second place with five gold medals, three silver and six bronze. The U.S. ranked below Japan, who had eight gold medals. Russia was right behind the U.S. with four gold medals.

Find the complete results on ifsc-climbing.org.

RESULTS – Top five in each age category

LEAD

Female Junior

1. Claire Buhrfeind (USA)

2. Aika Tajima (JPN)

3. Heloïse Doumont (BEL)

4. Victoria Perkins (USA)

5. Margo Hayes (USA)

Male Junior

1. Yoshiyuki Ogata (JPN)

2. Meichi Narasaki (JPN)

3. Kai Lightner (USA)

4. Taito Nakagami (JPN)

5. Nao Monchois (FRA)

Female Youth A

1. Ashima Shiraishi (USA)

2. Brooke Raboutou (USA)

3. Nolwenn Arc (FRA)

4. Laura Rogora (ITA)

5. Sandra Lettner (AUT)

Male Youth A

1. Shuta Tanaka (JPN)

2. Nathan Martin (FRA)

3. Mikel Asier Linacisoro Molina (ESP)

4. Filip Schenk (ITA)

5. Sam Avezou (FRA)

Female Youth B

1. Ai Mori (JPN)

2. Natsuki Tanii (JPN)

3. Futaba Ito (JPN)

4. Camille Pouget (FRA)

5. Saki Kikuchi (JPN)

Male Youth B

1. Colin Duffy (USA)

2. Alberto Ginés López (ESP)

3. Hidemasa Nishida (JPN)

4. Zander Waller (USA)

5. Rei Kawamata (JPN)

BOULDERING

Female Junior

1. Claire Buhrfeind (USA)

2. Maya Madere (USA)

3. Johanna Holfeld (GER)

4. Iuliia Panteleeva (RUS)

5. Laura Stöckler (AUT)

Male Junior

1. Yoshiyuki Ogata (JPN)

2. Meichi Narasaki (JPN)

3. Jan-Luca Posch (AUT)

4. Kai Lightner (USA)

5. Yannick Flohé (GER)

Female Youth A

1. Ashima Shiraishi (USA)

2. Luiza Emeleva (RUS)

3. Brooke Raboutou (USA)

4. Laura Rogora (ITA)

5. Hannah Meul (GER)

Male Youth A

1. Filip Schenk (ITA)

2. Keita Dohi (JPN)

3. Mizuki Tajima (JPN)

4. Petar Ivanov (BUL)

5. Pietro Biagini (ITA)

Female Youth B

1. Futaba Ito (JPN)

2. Natsuki Tanii (JPN)

3. Saki Kikuchi (JPN)

4. Indiana Chapman (CAN)

5. Nekaia Sanders (USA)

Male Youth B

1. Rei Kawamata (JPN)

2. Semen Ovchinnikov (RUS)

3. Ryoei Nukui (JPN)

4. Hidemasa Nishida (JPN)

5. Joshua Fourteau (FRA)

SPEED

Female Junior

1. Daria Kan (RUS)

2. Elizaveta Ivanova (RUS)

3. Ekaterina Barashchuk (RUS)

4. Claire Buhrfeind (USA)

5. Leslie Romero (VEN)

Male Junior

1. Carlos Granja (ECU)

2. Seungbeom Lee (KOR)

3. Michael Finn-Henry (USA)

4. Lev Rudatskiy (RUS)

5. Kostiantyn Pavlenko (UKR)

Female Youth A

1. Aleksandra Kalucka (POL)

2. YiLing Song (CHN)

3. Polina Aksenova (RUS)

4. Elena Remizova (RUS)

5. Elisabetta Dalla Brida (ITA)

Male Youth A

1. Sergey Rukin (RUS)

2. Georgiy Morozov (RUS)

3. JinXin Li (CHN)

4. Noah Bratschi (USA)

5. Cristian Dorigatti (ITA)

Female Youth B

1. Polina Kulagina (RUS)

2. Daria Potapova (RUS)

3. Kamilla Kushaeva (RUS)

4. Valeriia Slobodchikova (RUS)

5. Giulia Randi (ITA)

Male Youth B

1. Jacopo Stefani (ITA)

2. Anton Kulba (RUS)

3. Evgeny Kuzin (RUS)

4. Milosz Bujak (POL)

5. Jordan Fishman (USA)

COMBINED

Female Junior

1. Laura Stöckler (AUT)

2. Iuliia Panteleeva (RUS)

3. Margo Hayes (USA)

4. Franziska Sterrer (AUT)

5. Claire Buhrfeind (USA)

Male Junior

1. Meichi Narasaki (JPN)

2. Yoshiyuki Ogata (JPN)

3. Kai Lightner (USA)

4. William Bosi (GBR)

5. Kai Harada (JPN)

Female Youth A

1. Sandra Lettner (AUT)

2. Ashima Shiraishi (USA)

3. Brooke Raboutou (USA)

4. Elena Krasovskaia (RUS)

5. Valentina Aguado (ARG)

Male Youth A

1. Sam Avezou (FRA)

2. Filip Schenk (ITA)

3. Petar Ivanov (BUL)

4. Nathan Martin (FRA)

5. Keita Dohi (JPN)

Female Youth B

1. Natsuki Tanii (JPN)

2. Ai Mori (JPN)

3. Futaba Ito (JPN)

4. Naile Meignan (FRA)

5. Saki Kikuchi (JPN)

Male Youth B

1. Semen Ovchinnikov (RUS)

2. Rei Kawamata (JPN)

3. Hidemasa Nishida (JPN)

4. Ryoei Nukui (JPN)

5. Alberto Gínes López (ESP)

[Correction: A previous version of the article had listed the combined scores before finals. We regret the mistake.]

Watch the highlights here: