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World youth climbing championship semifinals set in Central Saanich

Nine Canadian climbers have qualified for Monday’s semifinal round in the lead/difficulty category at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Youth Climbing Championships.
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Benjamin Hughes makes his way up the wall during the World Youth Climbing Championships at Boulders Climbing Gym in Central Saanich.

Nine Canadian climbers have qualified for Monday’s semifinal round in the lead/difficulty category at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Youth Climbing Championships.

After two days of qualifying at the event, being held at Boulders Gym in Central Saanich, a total of 26 athletes ages 14 to 19 in six divisions have advanced to the semis, scheduled for Monday at 9:30 a.m. The finals follow at 4:30 p.m.

The number of Team Canada climbers in the mix is the most to reach the Youth World semifinals in the last five years. They include: Elan Jonas-McRae of Nanaimo (15th) and Ryder Hoy (26th) in male junior (ages 18-19); Lyma Lamarche (13th), Alyssa Weber (23rd) and Elise Sethna (26th) in female junior; Lucas Yuchida (20th) and Kyle Murdoch (26th) in male Youth B (ages 14-15), and Eva Thompson (24th) and Mika Hosoi (26th) in female Youth B.

“The sport is developing in Canada,” said Team Canada assistant coach Sean McColl, the overall senior men’s open world champion, who has been working with the youth climbers. “I want to help it develop faster.”

The lead/difficulty category features climbers working their way up set routes, with gradually increasing levels of difficulty. Dipping hands into bags of chalk attached to their harnesses to help with grip, they climb until they fall, or finish the route. The climber getting to the highest point wins.

“Sometimes you’re so tired, you do the move and cannot hold on,” McColl said. “The holds get smaller, more slopy, and it’s physically harder to stay on the wall. “Ideally, in a perfect final round, you would have to complete the route.”

Unlike the qualifying rounds, where climbers get to watch a video showing the route, the semifinalists and eight finalists get only a few minutes to figure out their approach to the wall.

Meanwhile, the speed category, which is running all day today, is all about the fastest person to reach the top of the certified world-record wall at Boulders. During qualifying, from noon to 4:30, climbers are ranked according to their times. The 16 fastest advance to the finals, at 4:30, when two climbers go head-to-head in an elimination race for the top. One climber will remain the undefeated champion.

sepp@timescolonist.com