(Photo World Climbing)
Qualification rounds at the World Climbing Para Series Innsbruck came to a close with finalists decided across the B, AL, AU, and RP sport classes.
The B sport classes at the Kletterzentrum Innsbruck saw athletes from Japan and the USA take control of qualification, finishing first in five of the six categories contested.
Among the standout performances was that of Seneida Biendarra of the USA, who topped the women’s B2 qualification. Biendarra returns to Innsbruck as the defending gold medallist after winning the category at the Austrian venue in 2025 and once again showed strong form heading into the final.
The only category not led by a Japanese or American climber was men’s B3, where 16-year-old Adrian Maillard of France impressed on his international debut to secure first place in qualification and advance to the final as the top-ranked athlete.
One of the largest fields of the event came in women’s B1, where 11 athletes competed for a place in the final. Although Switzerland’s Laila Grillo ultimately missed out on qualification, she highlighted the growth of the category and the wider Para Climbing movement.
“I think it’s a very nice thing to see so many para climbers here,” said Grillo. “In the women’s B1 category we are 11 women today. Since the World Championships in Bern there has not been so many women. I’m very surprised and very happy that there are so many climbers.”
Grillo also pointed to the inclusion of Para Climbing at the LA28 Paralympic Games as a possible factor behind the increase in participation: “I think the declaration for LA28 gave it quite a huge push for people to be motivated to climb again or to start to climb.”
DELARUE, JARRIGE LEAD AL1 QUALIFICATION
The AL and AU sport classes saw several familiar names advance at the top of the standings, with French stars Thierry Delarue and Lucie Jarrige taking first place in the men’s and women’s AL1 events, respectively.
South American climbers also impressed in qualification, as Eduardo Miguel Schaus of Brazil topped the men’s AU2 event, while 46-year-old debutant Guillermo Gouiric of Argentina secured first place in men’s AU3.
Australia’s Matthew Caruana finished sixth in the men’s AL1 event to earn a place in the final, continuing a rapid rise that has seen him reach the sport’s top level after only a year and a half of climbing.
“Honestly, I was disappointed in my first climb. However, with some readjustments with my coach Alex. We ended up doing very well on the route 2 and I, you know, left with a smile. I was happy.
“It’s my third comp, a year and a half of Climbing and I just love it. You know, it’s a dream to make finals. My first comp was Innsbruck last year, and it seems so far out of reach at the time, but I got a great team behind me, a great coach, and Climbing such an uplifting sport.”
Caruana also highlighted the collaborative atmosphere that characterises Para Climbing competition: “I was just out in Vienna at the Austrian nationals and here the Australian team is training with the Austrian and Norwegian teams. We’re competing against each other, but we’re encouraging each other, we’re sharing advice, we’re supporting one another. I feel like you don’t get that with any other sport. It’s all about wanting to see each other do well on the wall. Frederick from the Norwegian team said it best: we don’t compete against each other, we compete with each other.”
Like Grillo, the Australian pointed to the impact of Para Climbing’s inclusion at the LA28 Paralympic Games.
“I believe the World Championships had 14 competitors from both genders, mixed. Here there are 20, there’s nearly 50 percent of growth. And 24 were registered, that’s 70 percent more. That’s amazing. I mean, I think since the LA28 Paralympics announcement, the sport has grown tremendously,” he said.
“And I was one of those guys who got on board because I found out about it and I just fell in love. I’m excited for what is ahead of us, because it’s becoming so much more competitive and so many more athletes, we’re over 300 today. How amazing!”
CARNAZZO REACHES FIRST SERIES FINAL
Young American climbers continued to impress in the RP sport classes, with Brayden Butler and Melissa Ruiz topping qualification in the men’s RP2 and women’s RP2 events respectively.
Another athlete making a strong first impression was France’s Antoine Keodara, who secured first place in men’s RP3 on his international debut.
Among the finalists in men’s RP2 is Oliver Carnazzo of the USA, who advanced to his first final in a World Climbing Para Series event after five appearances on the circuit.
“I feel like this is the strongest that I’ve ever climbed. I put in a lot of training into overhang and the technical Climbing, and I feel like it’s showing. This is my first final in my fifth Series event, so I’m just excited to be here because I knew it was a possibility, but I really didn’t think it was going to happen.
“We do talk amongst each other, you know, we’re able to bounce things off of each other, but I feel like you got to know how to use your resources and ask questions that you want to know the answers, too. Because they’ve got a bit more experience of you. So obviously try to get some knowledge off that, and finding out where are good rest spots or crimp that actually looks a little bit better than you think it would be.”
Carnazzo will now look to carry that momentum into the final, approaching the round with a relaxed mindset: “I’m going to go in the final with no expectations. You know, let’s have fun. I’m happy to be here. And if I go in with a good mindset, then and I climb the hardest that I can, then I’ll get the result that I deserve.”
