Garnbret and Utelli close the season with gold in Santiago
The World Climbing Series 2026 came to a close with the final medals of the season and the Lead Series Ranking titles awarded
The final medals of the World Climbing Series 2026 were awarded in Santiago, Chile, with Janja Garnbret of Slovenia and Jonas Utelli of Switzerland winning the women’s and men’s Lead finals, respectively.
Garnbret topped the final route to complete a dominant performance across all rounds, while Utelli converted his fourth-place semi-final seed into the first gold medal of his career.
The event also brought the season-long battle for the Lead Series Ranking titles to a conclusion, with Japan’s Suzuki Neo and USA’s Annie Sanders finishing at the top of the men’s and women’s standings.
GARNBRET CLAIMS 34TH LEAD GOLD
Janja Garnbret of Slovenia completed a dominant performance in Santiago, topping the women’s final route to become the only female climber to record a top in any round of the competition, from qualification to the final.
The victory marked Garnbret’s 34th Lead gold medal from 54 starts in World Cup and World Climbing Series competitions. With 52 gold medals across all disciplines in the same competitions, the Slovenian added another milestone to her career before heading into the off-season.
Competing for the first time since Wujiang 2026, Laura Rogora of Italy returned to the podium with a second-place finish, scoring 48+. It was the Italian’s first medal since Koper 2025.
Rosa Rekar of Slovenia secured third place with 46+, earning the first podium of her career after 10 final appearances. Her compatriot Lucka Rakovec also scored 46+ but finished fourth following countback, recording her best placement in a World Climbing Series competition this season.
Nakagawa Ryu of Japan placed fifth, followed by Heloïse Doumont of Belgium in sixth, Tereza Siruckova of Czechia in seventh, and Ella Fisher of the USA in eighth.
Reflecting on her first visit to South America, Garnbret said: “I feel super good. It’s my first time in South America and the vibes are phenomenal. I enjoyed it from qualification to final. In front of such a crowd, it’s easy to climb.”
Asked whether the feeling of winning changes over time, she added: “The feeling never changes, I never get used to winning. Every medal is like the first one. I know how much hard work is behind every medal, so I’m grateful for all of them.”
Garnbret is now looking forward to a break from competition before beginning preparations for next season.
“Now it’s time for some rock climbing, I’m looking forward to that, then some time on the beach, some rest, and getting ready for next season, as we know it’s pretty important.”
UTELLI TAKES FIRST CAREER GOLD
Jonas Utelli of Switzerland won the men’s final after reaching 52 on a particularly challenging route, turning a fourth-place seed into his first World Climbing Series gold medal in his third final appearance.
Like Garnbret, Utelli was the only man to record a top across the entire competition, having achieved the feat during qualification.
Putra Tri Ramadani of Indonesia, who led the semi-final ranking, finished second with 49, while Suzuki Neo of Japan completed the podium in third place with 47+.
The victory came as a surprise even to Utelli, who struggled to find the words to describe the achievement.
“A big ‘I don’t know’. It still feels unreal, I don’t have the words at the moment,” the Swiss climber said.
“I wasn’t expecting to win, at all. I tried to enjoy climbing, enjoy Chile. Apparently, that’s the way to win your first gold medal.”
Three Japanese climbers finished outside the medal positions, with Yoshida Satone placing fourth, Hamada Ryusei fifth and Anraku Sorato sixth. France’s Sam Avezou finished seventh, while Alberto Ginés López of Spain placed eighth after an early slip on the route.
SUZUKI AND SANDERS WIN LEAD SERIES RANKING TITLES
The final competition of the season also settled the Lead Series Rankings presented by Euroholds, with Suzuki Neo and Annie Sanders of the USA claiming the men’s and women’s titles.
Suzuki topped the men’s standings with 4,820 points, adding the Series title to his third-place finish in Santiago. Putra Tri Ramadani finished second with 4,175 points, becoming the first Indonesian climber to reach a Series podium outside of Speed. Alberto Ginés López, winner of last year’s season trophy, completed the top three with 3,455 points.
In the women’s standings, Sanders secured the title with 4,415 points despite not competing in Santiago. Garnbret’s victory in Chile lifted her to second place with 3,805 points, while Seo Chaehyun of South Korea, also absent from the final competition, finished third with 3,565 points.
NEXT UP
With the World Climbing Series 2026 wrapped up in Santiago, two international events remain on the calendar: the World Climbing Para Series Gunsan 2026, taking place from 29 to 30 October, and the World Climbing Para Series Fukuoka 2026, scheduled for 5 to 6 November.
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.
