GB Climbing's juniors finished off the team's most successful IFSC World Youth Championships ever with five more medals following Hamish McArthur's Boulder win last week in Voronezh, Russia. York-based Hamish (19) went on to win gold in the Junior Lead final and silver overall in the Combined ranking (Lead, Boulder and Speed). Yesterday Emily Phillips (18) finished 2nd in the Junior Boulder final to secure a silver medal and gold overall, earning her the title of Combined Youth World Champion. Toby Roberts (16) finished 2nd overall in Combined in the Youth A category.
© David Xiberras
In total, the GB team won six medals and earned eight final spots (a top eight finish for Lead, top six for Boulder).
Having dominated the Boulder competition and the Lead semi-final round, all eyes were on Hamish as he attempted to become a double Youth World Champion on Friday. A confident Top with a crafty knee-bar en-route placed him ahead of France's Paul Jenft, who also topped but lost out due to countback to semis.
© David Xiberras
Recently-crowned 2021 British Bouldering Champion Emily Phillips of Cardiff placed 18th in Speed, 12th in Lead and 2nd in Boulder to finish 1st overall ahead of Lucija Tarkus (SLO) and Mahya Darabian (IRI). Emily is the second British junior female to win a World Youth Championship title after Hannah Slaney won Gold in Boulder in Moscow in 2018.
© Jan Virt/IFSC
Toby Roberts, who finished 2nd in Youth A Combined, was European Youth Boulder Champion in 2019 (UKC News). Both Emily and Hamish have ended their youth career on a high and will now look forward to continuing their transition to senior finals and podiums. Emily finished 10th in the IFSC Boulder World Cup in Munich in 2019, while Hamish finished 19th in the Briançon Lead World Cup this summer.
Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games - where Lead and Boulder will be a separate Combined discipline to the single Speed event - Hamish, Emily and Toby are on course to be big hopes for Team GB.
Age category breakdowns:
Youth B = 14/15 years
Youth A = 16/17 years
Juniors = 18/19 years
GB Climbing Male finalist positions
Hamish McArthur (Juniors) Lead - 1st, Boulder - 1st, Combined - 2nd
Dayan Akhtar (Juniors) Boulder - 5th
Rhys Conlon (Youth B) Boulder - 6th
Toby Roberts (Youth A) Lead - 7th, Combined - 2nd
GB Climbing Female finalist positions
Emily Phillips (Juniors) Boulder - 2nd, Combined - 1st
Lucy Garlick (Youth B) Boulder - 5th
Erin McNeice (Youth A) Boulder - 5th
Comments
Best results that GB Climbing has ever had in a WYCH. Well done to Hamish, Emily and Toby for coming home with the most medals than we have ever had in a World's and great results for all the other finalists and semi finalists, all the training has paid off. Well done to the full Team, Coaches, Coaches back home and parents, without the back ground support climbers wouldn't achieve their best.
Massive congratulations to everyone involved in this; especially the athletes. See y'all in Paris?