Athletes from seven totally different international locations (Eire, Iran, Mongolia, the Netherlands, South Korea, Switzerland and the USA) claimed the 12 medals on supply throughout the first UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup of the 2025 season held in Cheongsong, South Korea.
Situated in South Korea’s Apple County and a famous winter sports activities vacation spot, Cheongsong has been an everyday cease on the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour for over a decade. Shortly earlier than motion began final weekend, a brand new five-year deal between the Korean Alpine Federation (KAF) and Cheongsong County was introduced guaranteeing UIAA competitions, topic to UIAA World Ice Climbing approval, will proceed to be held within the area till the 12 months 2030. The UIAA is delighted to see such a robust dedication from one of many world’s most skilled occasion organizers.
The primary medals determined on this 12 months’s competitors got here within the duel format pace competitors. Right here reigning world champion Mohammadreza Safdarian, Iran, made an early season assertion by defeating a rising star of the self-discipline, Mongolia’s Kherlen Nyamdoo within the last. Within the bronze medal climb, Safdarian’s teammate Mohsen Beheshti Rad overcame native athlete Cheol Kim Min.
The ladies’s competitors noticed success for Crew USA with Catalina Shirley, 22, taking gold. Within the course of, Shirley bettered final 12 months’s silver meal in Cheongsong. Silver went to Mongolia’s Selenge Nyamdoo with South Korea taking the bronze as Youjin Cha overcame world champion Aneta Louzecka.
Within the lead competitors, eight male and eight feminine athletes contested a gripping last on routes conceived for quick ascending however with some famous technical challenges, greatest demonstrated by no athlete coming near topping the route.
Woonseon Shin, reigning world champion and reigning World Tour winner, went into the weekend because the favorite for the title and as final athlete to climb had the possibility to safe one other gold medal in her house World Cup. Nevertheless, difficulties in negotiating an ice barrel midway up the route scuppered her probabilities as she timed out in sixth. The medals had been shared between three European athletes – Sina Goetz of Switzerland taking gold forward of Marianne Van der Steen, Netherlands, and Eimir McSwiggan, Eire (picture, above). For Goetz it’s a first gold medal for the reason that World Cup in Saas-Charge in 2023; Van der Steen secured her greatest ever World Cup end and McSwiggan returns to a World Cup podium for the primary time since Champagny-en-Vanoise in 2023.
Within the males’s competitors, the reigning world champion Lee Younggeon held his nerve and composure to take gold. Regardless of his success on the world stage, gold in his house occasion had eluded him till now. Safdarian loved the excellence of being the one athlete to medal in each pace and lead. His silver within the latter was his first on the world stage in 5 years. Bronze accomplished an excellent weekend for the Swiss Alpine Membership workforce with Benjamin Bosshard securing bronze. Of their return to World Cup competitors, the Ladveant brothers had a blended weekend. Tristan claimed fifth in lead with former world champion Louna bowing out within the semi-finals.
Athletes will now transition to the European legs of competitors with Saas-Charge, Switzerland celebrating 25 years of internet hosting UIAA-sanctioned occasions from 23-25 January. Cheongsong supplied a fantastic demonstration of the growing high quality of numerous nationwide federations as athletes battled advanced routes in freezing temperatures.
The UIAA want to thank the Korean Alpine Federation (KAF) for its glorious internet hosting of the competitors and to KAF and the area of Cheongsong for his or her dedication to the game of mountain climbing and internet hosting UIAA occasions for an additional 5 years. The UIAA was represented in Cheongsong by Government Committee member Simon Alden, Climb MT (Malta).
Collated outcomes from Cheongsong, together with the Asian Championships, will be discovered right here.
Picture credit: UIAA/Rhea Kang
Evaluation of Finals: Livestreams
Belongings for Media and Followers
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