Fukuoka qualification opens the fifth and final Para stop
Returning to action just one week after the last World Climbing Para Series competition, Para climbers from around the world try to end the season on a high in Fukuoka, Japan
Last year, Fukuoka hosted a Para showcase inviting climbers from around the world who were not competing to have a taste of high-level competition. This season, the event is a fully fledged World Climbing Para Series event and closes the 2026 season.
Over 170 athletes were registered to take part, and the first step was taking on qualification for the 19 sport classes.
AL & AU CLASSES
Shuhei Yuki leads the men’s AL2 in his home country in what is a very competitive field of climbers. Out of 18 starters in the class, six progressed to the final with three in a three-way tie for third.
Spain’s Rubén Roldán Bustos is second with USA’s Ethan Zilz, Italy’s David Kammerer and last week’s gold medallist and Athlete of the week Belgium’s Frederik Leys the climbers in third. Norway’s Sebastian Menze is the sixth and last finalist.
Speaking about the qualification round Kammerer said: “I’m very happy. I topped the first route when the pressure was on. I knew many were going to top so I had to perform and keep full focus. The second, there were some brutal moves but somehow I made them and I was third and moving forward into tomorrow’s finals.”
The format for the event in Fukuoka is scheduled a little differently with all climbers completing a first route in the first session of the day and then completing the second in the second session. Talking about the schedule Kammerer said: “It’s a bit unusual, but since last year we have had some big breaks. This time I went back to the hotel, slept one hour, had some food, and then came back.
“Then in the afternoon you don’t need to warm up as much, just get the body reactivated. It’s just a long day and you are mentally tired and you need to have some good food, some good drinks and a strong mind.”
France’s Lucie Jarrige is the top qualifier in the women’s AL2 with Austria’s Angelino Zeller once again the climber to beat in the mixed AL1 class.
AU2 is led by France’s Solenne Piret in the women’s competition and Brazil’s Eduardo Miguel Schaus in the men’s competition. AU3 sees USA’s Wanying Morningstar top of the women’s and Switzerland’s Dominic Geisseler top of the men’s.
B CLASSES
USA’s Phoebe Barkan progressed to the women’s B3 final in second place, and she is very happy with the challenge the routesetters have laid on for the climbers: “The first route was a little more gentle and sequence intensive with a very physical top, but I fell just before that.
“The second was quite cool and probably one of the more physical routes that the women’s B category has been on for in a long time, very steep, very powerful. There were some cool heel hooks and knee bars, and my sight guide was really on point making sure I had a really clear mental map of my options.”
Giving her thoughts quite simply on her qualification round Barkan said: “I’m happy. There’s always room for improvement, but in general I’m happy.”
Leading the competition is Barkan’s USA teammate Linn Poston, and they will be joined in the final by Japan’s Mika Maeoka.
The women’s B1 competition is led by Italy’s Nadia Bredice and the B2 by Great Britain’s Abigail Robinson. Spain’s Francisco Javier Aguilar Amoedo and Japan’s Sho Aita share the lead of the men’s B1 competition while Kazuhiro Minowada in the B2 and Takumi Kawamura in the B3 ensure the home nation has an advantage in all of the men’s B classes going into the final round.
RP CLASSES
The RP classes have six competitions, and all six are led by different nations. For the women it’s climbers from USA, Austria and Slovenia, and for the men it’s Norway, India and Japan.
Melissa Ruiz is top in the women’s RP1, Jasmin Plank is top of the women’s RP2, and Pia Purkart is top of the women’s RP3. For the men, it’s Kim Rishaug in the RP1, Manikandan Kumar in the RP2 and Kazuhiko Yamashita in the RP3.
RESULTS
Full results for all classes can be found here
NEXT UP
The World Climbing Para Series Fukuoka 2026 will will feature all finals on day two, starting at 10:00.
News and updates about all World Climbing events will be available on the World Climbing website, and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.
