The World Climbing Para Series wrapped up last night in Salt Lake City with an exciting close to two days of competition. Athletes from around the world delivered unforgettable performances across all 19 categories, showcasing the incredible talent, strength, and energy that continue to drive Para Climbing forward.

This event gave fans a glimpse into the excitement ahead as Para Climbing now looks toward its debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.

W-B2: Biendarra Snags Silver

Team USA athlete Seneida Biendarra takes home silver, showing her consistent ability to perform under competition pressure. After the competition, Biendarra said:

“It feels so good to be in such a sea of competitors this year. We’ve had more B2 athletes than ever before, so it really feels like this season is going to kick it up a notch. I’m super stoked.” When asked what she plans to do next, she says “Honestly I’m going to come back today or later tomorrow and try the rest of the routes because they all are so good. These routes are always a treat to get to challenge yourself on.” Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Biendarra added, “I’ll be going to Innsbruck. It feels like we are warming up to have a really strong team for the US this year. Lots of great performances today and I am so stoked to see how everyone grows this season.”

W-B2 Podium:

Gold: Abigail Robinson • Jay Jackson (GBR)
Silver: Seneida Biendarra • Nathaniel Gamble (USA)
Bronze: Luisa Grube • Christof Poeppl (GER)

W-B3:  Phoebe Barkan Claims Silver in Women’s B3

Team USA athlete Phoebe Barkan takes home silver, while fellow Team USA athlete Jessica Semmel claims bronze.

W-B3 Podium:

Gold: Elsa Boutel Menard • Victor Matile (FRA)
Silver: Phoebe Barkan • Jonathan Wright (USA)
Bronze: Jessica Semmel • Alexandra Suponitsky (USA)

W-AU2: Maureen Beck Makes Her Claim, Wins Gold

Beck is back and ready for the competition season. The crowd went wild watching Maureen (Mo) Beck make her way to the top to claim gold for Team USA in Women’s AU2.

 “This is my first gold since 2017. I turn 40 this year, so I just think there’s no better time for anybody to start rock climbing!” When talking about competing at a home event, Beck said, “It makes me want to take this crowd with me for the rest of the World Cup tour. There is no team like a home team!” When asked what’s next, Beck said, “I’m going to spend the next two months training, skipping Innsbruck so I can be ready for the Asia World Cups.”

W-AU2 Podium:

Gold: Maureen Beck (USA)
Silver: Lucia Capovilla (ITA)
Bronze: Isabel Benvenuti (USA)

W-AU3: Wanying Morningstar Claims Silver

Wanying Morningstar continued her strong season, taking home silver in Women’s AU3.

W-AU3 Podium:

Gold: Oriane Ilpide (FRA)
Silver: Wanying Morningstar (USA)
Bronze: Rosalie Schaupert (GER)

W-RP1: Melissa Ruiz Takes Home Gold For Team USA

Melissa Ruiz brings home another gold medal for Team USA, climbing her way up to hold 43 to claim her victory.

“I’m feeling great. I listened to the audio from the commentators online, and all I hear is Matt Groom saying, ‘Yeah, she lost silver last year, so she really wants gold this year.’ I obviously didn’t hear him say that when I was climbing, but I’m sure I knew. But he’s right — it does feel really good to have this.”

W-RP1 Podium:

Gold: Melissa Ruiz (USA)
Silver: Eva Mol (NED)
Bronze: Charlotte Faist (GER)

W-RP2: Megan Gleason Takes Silver

Megan Gleason takes home silver in the Women’s RP2 category, with Brenda Findley claiming bronze.

W-RP2 Podium:

Gold: Jasmin Plank (AUT)
Silver: Megan Gleason (USA)
Bronze: Brenda Findley (USA)

W-RP3: Vorel Tops Final Route, Earning Silver

Nat Vorel had an incredible performance, taking a top for Women’s RP3 along with Marina Dias of Brazil. The results came down to countback, earning Vorel silver.

W-RP3 Podium:

Gold: Marina Dias (BRA)
Silver: Nat Vorel (USA)
Bronze: Lena Schoellig (GER)

M-AL1: Caleb McDonald Claims First World Climbing Podium

Caleb McDonald made an impression in his first World Climbing Para Series appearance, taking home silver for Team USA in Men’s AL1.

M-AL1 Podium:

Gold: Angelino Zeller (AUT)
Silver: Caleb McDonald (USA)
Bronze: Naohisa Hatakeyama (JPN)

M-AL2: Zilz Takes Home Silver

Ethan Zilz put up a strong fight, with his hard work paying off as he takes home silver for Team USA.

M-AL2 Podium:

Gold: Thierry Delarue (FRA)
Silver: Ethan Zilz (USA)
Bronze: David Kammerer (ITA)

M-AU2: Zarzuela Takes Home Another Gold

Brian Zarzuela once again proved his strength and power, finishing with a score of 43 to secure another gold medal in the World Climbing Para Series.

“It feels amazing. Climbing here in Salt Lake City in front of the home crowd is just an amazing feeling.” Looking ahead to Innsbruck, Zarzuela said, “Super looking forward to Innsbruck in just a month. That will be really cool — the biggest event we’ve ever had in Para Climbing — and I’m really excited to see a couple of faces that I haven’t seen in awhile.” When asked what his favorite part of the competition was this weekend, Zarzuela said, “I just love how challenging the routes have gotten. Year after year, the routes are getting harder, and it really does feel like they’re pushing the limit a little more, and it’s fun.”

M-AU2 Podium:

Gold: Brian Zarzuela (USA)
Silver: Kevin Bartke (GER)
Bronze: Eduardo Miguel Schaus (BRA)

M-AU3: Keough Claims Another Gold Medal

Mason Keough delivered once again, taking home the gold medal for Team USA. His stoke for climbing really shows, both on the competition wall, as well as outside.

“I feel pretty great about it. I think it was a pretty great competition. I was scared about my endurance because I’ve been mostly bouldering, but it was able to hold up, which I was stoked about.” “Last year was my first year competing. I’ve been an amputee for about two and a half years, so I finally healed up enough to compete last year and had a blast. It feels great to return and get a gold medal.” “Not only did I get the great home crowd, but also not being sleep deprived when I’m competing is great” When asked what’s next, Keough said “my next goal is to climb 8a and 8a outdoors this year which is V11 boulder and 5.13b sport climb.”

M-AU3 Podium:

Gold: Mason Keough (USA)
Silver: Dominic Geisseler (SUI)
Bronze: Nathan McKinley (USA)

M-RP2: Mayforth Takes Home Another Gold Medal

Ben Mayforth showed up for Team USA, putting in the work and claiming gold.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now. Had an interesting year last year. Definitely had to change up some mindsets, and I’m just really thankful that we have the coaches that we do and the people that help me stay on this path.” “It’s been eight years competing now, and I’ve definitely made some changes, but I’m super thankful that I did.” “I felt like a lot of things were different because the Paralympics are happening. Definitely everyone stepped up — coaches stepped up, competitors stepped up, and even the numbers and how hard everyone is climbing has really ramped up this year. It’s been really exciting to watch that happen.” When asked what’s next, Mayforth said, “I’m going to spend a week outside and kind of enjoy myself a little bit, hang out with friends, and relax before getting ready for Innsbruck.”

M-RP2 Podium:

Gold: Ben Mayforth (USA)
Silver: Brayden Butler (USA)
Bronze: Philipp Hrozek (AUT)

M-RP3: Gleason Works His Way To Bronze

Ian Gleason put up a strong fight, working his way to a bronze medal for Team USA.

M-RP3 Podium:

Gold: Tadashi Takano (JPN)
Silver: Jamie Barendrecht (NED)
Bronze: Ian Gleason (USA)

Full results from the World Climbing Para Series Salt Lake City 2026 can be found here. You can rewatch the Final round on World Climbing YouTube.

Follow @usaclimbing on social media for competition updates and behind-the-scenes action.