Russian climber Petr Zemlyakov has won the gold medal in speed climbing at the European championship, securing the continental title after completing the course in five seconds.
Zemlyakov reached the top of the wall in the final heat to claim victory at the tournament, according to a report by Lenta.ru. Earlier in the competition, the athlete established a new Russian national record during the round of 16 by finishing the climb in 4.86 seconds.
His brother, Ivan Zemlyakov, also earned a place on the podium at the continental championship. Ivan Zemlyakov took the bronze medal in the same event after crossing the finish line with a time of 6.25 seconds.
Speed climbing discipline and record performance
Speed climbing is one of three primary competitive disciplines within sport climbing, alongside bouldering and lead climbing. In speed events, athletes race head to head on identical, standardized artificial walls inclined at five degrees, striving to hit a timing sensor at the top in the fastest time.
During the elimination stages of the European tournament, Zemlyakov's time of 4.86 seconds in the round of 16 marked the fastest official time recorded by a Russian climber in the discipline. He maintained his form through the final rounds to claim the gold medal with his five-second finish.
Neutral status and international climbing rules
The European championship victory comes after the International Federation of Sport Climbing, the global governing body known as World Climbing, announced on February 23 that Russian competitors would be permitted to join events under its auspices in a neutral status.
Athletes representing Russia and Belarus had been excluded from all international climbing competitions since March 2022. World Climbing, founded in 2007 to manage international climbing events and sanction championship series, implemented the suspension alongside broader global sporting bodies.
Prior to the Olympic Games in Paris, Russian sport climbers had publicly stated their refusal to take part in the Olympic tournament under neutral status conditions. Neutral status guidelines typically require qualified competitors to participate without national flags, anthems, or state symbols.
