Mingyi Zhou, Mila Piatek, Yanze Shi and Xinyi Huang claim the Speed world titles after a thrilling day of competition
The fourth day of the World Climbing Youth Championship Arco 2026 was entirely dedicated to Speed.
On the Speed wall at the Arco Climbing Stadium, the world’s leading young sprinters thrilled the large home crowd and the fans watching via livestream, producing outstanding times, personal bests and several dramatic changes of fortune throughout the knockout rounds.
ZHOU TAKES THE MEN’S U17 TITLE
The men’s U17 qualification round featured a series of impressive performances, with nine athletes breaking the six-second barrier.
China’s Mingyi Zhou led the standings with an outstanding time of 5.16 seconds, finishing ahead of the United States’ Austin Bock, who clocked 5.47, and Thailand’s Pao Qiuchokwatthana, third in 5.50.
After two intense knockout rounds, four athletes remained in contention for the medals. Zhou overcame Italy’s Jacopo Titi in the semifinals, while France’s Nguyen-Angelot defeated Germany’s Müller.
Müller then secured the bronze medal in the small final, leaving Titi in fourth place after an excellent competition in front of the Italian crowd.
In the gold-medal race, Zhou produced the decisive performance against Nguyen-Angelot, claiming the men’s U17 Speed world title for China.
PIATEK TRIUMPHS IN A DRAMATIC WOMEN’S U17 COMPETITION
In the women’s U17 qualification round, the United States’ Evie Albrecht set the benchmark with an exceptional time of 6.50 seconds, a result of considerable value even at senior level.
Austria’s Lara Haselwanter followed in 7.16, while Thailand’s Kanyanat Arsakit qualified third with 7.31.
The knockout stage brought a dramatic change of fortune. Albrecht’s campaign ended in the quarterfinals following an error, allowing New Zealand’s Mila Piatek to progress. During the competition, Piatek also established a new Oceania continental record with a time of 7.70 seconds.
In the semifinals, Piatek overcame China’s Nuo Chen, while Arsakit defeated Haselwanter to earn a place in the title race.
The final between Piatek and Arsakit was decided when the Thai athlete fell, leaving the New Zealander to complete her run and secure the women’s U17 Speed world title.
Nuo Chen claimed the bronze medal after defeating Haselwanter in the third-place race.
SHI WINS THE MEN’S U19 WORLD TITLE
In the men’s U19 qualification round, reigning world silver medallist Francesco Ponzinibio of Italy recorded the fastest time of the session.
The Italian stopped the clock at an excellent 5.04 seconds, finishing ahead of China’s Ruifeng Wang, second in 5.14, and Japan’s Sota Saito, third in 5.15.
Ponzinibio progressed through the opening knockout round but made an error in the quarterfinals, which resulted in his elimination by China’s Yanze Shi, the eventual world champion. The Italian completed the competition in fifth place.
Shi went on to claim the men’s U19 world title after defeating Indonesia’s Haddan Malik Baqmuhyibar in an unpredictable final, during which both athletes made errors in the closing section of their runs.
Switzerland’s Gilles Meil secured the bronze medal. After narrowly missing a place in the final, the Swiss sprinter responded with an outstanding 4.90-second run, the fastest time of the entire competition, while his opponent Ruifeng Wang fell.
HUANG CLAIMS THE WOMEN’S U19 CROWN
In the women’s U19 qualification round, individual neutral athlete Milana Melnichenko, already experienced at senior World Cup level, recorded the fastest time with 6.42 seconds.
European Youth Champion Polina Khalkevych of Ukraine placed second in 6.70, while China’s Chunyouxuan Wang posted the third-fastest time with 6.78.
After a series of closely contested elimination races, China’s Xinyi Huang reached the final against Khalkevych.
The title race was decided when the Ukrainian athlete made a mistake and fell, allowing Huang to claim the women’s U19 Speed world title.
Melnichenko completed the podium by winning the bronze-medal race against China’s Yumei Bai.
Italy’s Sara Strocchi and Eva Mengoli both reached the round of 16, completing their competitions in ninth and 14th place respectively.
A SPECTACULAR SHOWCASE OF YOUTH SPEED CLIMBING
The fourth day of competition confirmed the rapid development of Speed climbing, both in terms of performance standards and technical quality.
Continental records, personal bests and internationally competitive times highlighted the exceptional level of the young athletes competing in Arco.
In front of an enthusiastic crowd, the world’s best youth sprinters delivered an unpredictable and adrenaline-filled spectacle, with races decided by speed, precision and the smallest fractions of a second.
