The 2025 Youth World Championships took place in Helsinki, Finland from July 28–August 3rd! There were over 800 competitors from 54 countries and territories competing at the largest climbing gym in all of Northern Europe: KiipeilyAreena Ristikko. This event exclusively featured athletes from both the U17 and U19 youth categories. Overall, two medals were awarded for the U17W category. Evie Albrecht earned her first Gold for Speed, which marks the first US Women’s Speed Gold and podium since 2023! Meanwhile, Lucy Duncan earned her first Silver for Boulder, which is also the first Boulder medal earned by a US athlete at Youth Worlds since 2023.

Boulder Podiums

U19M 
Nathaniel Perullo, who has notably never competed in an IFSC competition before, placed 24th in Semi-Finals. Also representing the USA in the Qualification round were Auggie Chi, who finished 27th, and Declan Osgood, who placed 31st—both of whom have previously competed in two IFSC Youth World Championships.

U19W
Carly Alba placed 12th in her first Semi-Finals at an IFSC Youth World Championship, with Alexandra Inghilterra not far behind in 16th. Inghilterra fell on the final move of W4—a coordination dyno to a slotted crimp—before topping with only 30 seconds left on the clock. Also representing the USA in the Qualification round was Naomi Lahaie, who finished 27th in her first IFSC Youth World Championship.

U17M
Landers Gaydosh competed in both Boulder and Lead at his first IFSC event, coming in fifth place with two tops and one zone. Gaydosh held first place for a notable amount of time after he expertly navigated the slow slab section of M1, at one point standing up on a miniscule foot chip. Gaydosh’s entrance into Finals made him the first US male in a Youth Worlds Boulder Finals since 2023!

Making it to Semi-Finals at his first IFSC event was Jackson Dendy in 18th with three zones. Also representing the USA in the Qualification round was Banlu Rogaway in 28th with one top and three zones.

U17W
Meini Li (CHN)
Lucy Duncan (USA)
Lou Auclair (FRA)

Lucy Duncan earned not only her first podium, but also her first Silver and medal in general at an IFSC event with three tops and one zone during Finals. This marks the first Boulder medal for a US athlete at Youth Worlds since 2023. Duncan was beaten solely by attempts, as no athlete could top every problem. Her ability to quickly move off volumes wowed the crowd, especially when she effortlessly danced across the W1 coordination move. After a heavy celebration, Duncan topped W3 with 18 seconds remaining after fighting through on her fifth attempt.

Competing in Semi-Finals was Kailyn Leong, who placed 14th place with two tops at her first IFSC event. With only five seconds left, she topped the technical and powerful W4 on her fourth attempt. Also representing the USA in the Qualification round was Evelyn Orton, who placed 30th with two tops and three zones.

Speed Podiums

U19M

Taede Mai finished the competition in 4th after a combination of hard work and good fortune when his opponent false started during their first race. From there, Mai soared past the competition, clocking his fastest time of the day at 5.94 seconds. Also representing the USA in the Qualification round were Lucas Vales in 16th place with a time of 5.6 seconds, and William Eaton close behind in 17th place with a time of 5.67 seconds. Vales has competed in a World Cup for Speed before, however, Helsinki is his best placement to date. For Eaton, this was his first IFSC event.

U19W
Madi Walsh was just a fraction of a second away from earning her first Bronze in the Bronze medal race. Still, she posted impressive times, with her best of the competition coming in at 7.73 seconds. Walsh has already competed in two World Cups for Speed this year, with this marking her highest placement so far. Also competing in Finals was Lily Staudt, who was also edged out by a fraction of a second with a time of 8.80 seconds. Close behind was the experienced Micaela Patajo—who has notably competed in five IFSC events since 2023—finishing with a time of 7.89 seconds in Finals.

U17W
Evie Albrecht earned not only her first Gold, but her first IFSC podium and medal as well. With a time of 6.96 seconds, Albrecht beat her opponent to Gold by only 0.03 seconds. After her win, Albrecht celebrated by nearly flipping upside down in her harness as she descended to the ground. This Gold marks both the first US women’s Speed podium and US women’s Speed Gold since 2023.

Also representing the USA in Finals was Bella Wargo, who has only competed in one other IFSC Youth World Championship before. Wargo’s fastest time was clocked at 8.00 seconds flat, with the competition ending for her during Quarter-Finals. Also representing the USA in the Qualification round was Olivia Yandora, who placed 22nd at her first IFSC event with a time of 9.6 seconds.

U17M
Representing the USA in the Qualification round were Khoi Tran, who placed 17th with a time of 7.02 seconds, followed closely by Owen Gerber in 20th with a time of 7.07 seconds. Finally, Austin Bock placed 34th after a false start. Notably, both Tran and Bock have previously competed alongside each other at the same IFSC Youth World Championships. For Gerber, this was his first IFSC event.

Lead Podiums

U19M
Bryce Nix, whose last IFSC Youth World Championship was in 2023, placed 15th in Semi-Finals. Also representing the USA in the Qualification round were Anderson Fuhrer, who placed 26th, and Wesley Smith, who finished 57th—both making their IFSC debuts.

U19W

Zoe Yi, who has competed at three previous IFSC Youth World Championships before, achieved her best placement just off the podium in fifth place. Throughout the competition, Yi had a few stand-out moves, including a heel-hook on an extremely small crimp in Semi-Finals before a dynamic move on her Finals route almost caused her to slip. Yi returned her feet to the wall effortlessly, a move that not many other competitors could follow. Also representing the USA in Semi-Finals was Alexandra Inghilterra, who placed 15th after pulling off an incredible high-heel-foot match. Inghilterra held the U19W high point for a notable amount of time.

U17M
Benjamin Rose-Innes placed 21st at his first Lead Semi-Final at an IFSC Youth World Championship. At one point, Rose-Innes clipped while having both his heels hooked. Also representing the USA in the Qualification round were Landers Gaydosh—who made it to Finals for Boulder—placing 28th, and Colden Floss, who finished 45th at his first IFSC Youth World Championship.

U17W
Evelyn Orton—who also competed in Boulder—placed 14th at her first Lead Semi-Final at an IFSC Youth World Championship after taking a large whip during an extended missed clip. Still, Orton moved slowly and technically throughout her entire route. Also representing the USA in the Qualification round were Khadija Magali (Km) Suleman in 29th place, followed by Isabelle Case in 36th place. Case got her first international start at this competition.

Full results from the IFSC Youth World Championships 2025 can be found here. You can rewatch the finals on the IFSC YouTube Channel.

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