Canadians Strong at First Ice World Cup of Season
From Dec. 11 to 12, the first UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup of 2015 took place in Bozeman.
The North American Championships were part of the event and of the six podium spots, Canadians claimed five. Congrats to Gord McArthur, Sarah Hueniken, Noah Beek, Karlee Hall and Nathan Kutcher for their top finishes.
In the highly-anticipated season opener in Bozeman, Russian athletes Maxim Tomilov and Maria Tolokonina claimed gold medals in both Friday’s speed and Saturday’s lead competition. Dominating one competition is impressive, prevailing in both is an almost unprecedented achievement.
There were nearly 60 athletes from 12 countries that took part in the weekend’s activities in front of a passionate and knowledgeable local crowd.
The Bozeman ice climbing community had shown their solidarity in recent weeks helping rebuild the competition structure which was destroyed by hurricane force winds in mid November.
Tomilov’s impressive form in the lead competition should come as no surprise. After all he is the defending champion and three-time winner. His prowess in speed (his best season finish to date a second place in 2008) marks his quest to dominate both disciplines. Maxim’s nearest rival during the weekend was his older brother Alexey, defeated in Friday’s speed competition by only a few hundredths of a second. “I was proud to face my brother in the final and felt very confident,” said Maxim. Dominance was not only Tomilov but Russian. The podium positions in both men’s lead and speed were claimed by Russian athletes.
However, the likes of Carter Stritch from the United States in speed and Korean HeeYoung Park in lead demonstrated qualities which suggest the Russian athletes will face a tougher examination in the upcoming events.
The competition showcased the diverse range of athletes in attendance from the raw potential of 17-year old Swiss climber Yannick Glathard (9th place, lead) and the guile and experience of 48-year old Russian Sergey Tarasov (5th overall, speed).
In the female disciplines Maria Tolokonina marked her return to competition (she sat out last season) in style. Tolokonina is an exceptional ice climber and a former champion in both lead and speed. On Friday she was comfortable winner of the speed competition (her last triumph in 2011) ahead of nearest rival Maryam Filippova and on Saturday dominated the lead crown she most recently won in 2014. Defending champion Angelika Rainer of Italy finished third but had been struggling with illness. Ekaterina Vlasova took silver.
Bozeman also crowned the North American champions. Sarah Hueniken and Gordon McArthur claimed gold medal in lead and the speed competition proved to be a family affair with Kendra Stritch and her brother Carter top of the podium.
“It is really fun to have trained with my brother and share the podium with him,” explained Kendra. “To be North American champion is to help grow the sport to introduce people to the fun we have here,” said Carter.
Lead winner McArthur summed up the mood of the weekend. “The atmosphere was incredible. We went from destruction of the structure to a rebuilt tower. The world came together and to see so many athletes perform at a high level is a great experience.”
For the full results from Bozeman, click here.
A post-comp photo of the all-Canadian podium with McArthur on top, Kutcher in second and Beek on the left:
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