Israel’s Yonatan Katz won gold at the World Climbing Series bouldering finale in Salt Lake City. The victory came on only his second start in the senior international series. He secured the top spot by solving a boulder problem that had defeated every other finalist in the men’s competition.
Katz Solves the Unsolvable Boulder
The final boulder was a complex coordination challenge. Before Katz attempted it, none of the other finalists had even reached the scoring zone. The zone is a designated hold partway up the route. On his fourth try, Katz passed the zone and completed the climb. He finished with a score of 69.7 points. This performance highlighted that success often depends on precise movement rather than just brute force, as the challenge required a climber to figure out the least-wasteful movement possible under pressure.
Britain’s Maximillian Milne, who had led the final, could not match Katz’s performance. Milne took silver with 59.7 points. Japan’s Rei Kawamata finished third with 54.2 points. The event took place on October 16-18. For a sport that may look to outsiders like simply climbing a wall, this outcome created a significant amount of drama hanging off those holds.
Read Also: Lifters urged to add cardio for better heart health
Season Highlights and Unexpected Results
The women’s final, held the next day, featured its own dramatic outcome. France’s Oriane Bertone won with 84.6 points. She was the only finalist to complete the first boulder. Britain’s Erin McNeice finished second with 69.7 points, just ahead of Japan’s Mao Nakamura at 69.6. Her performance demonstrated the importance of technique over physique, as she was not necessarily the strongest climber but excelled at solving problems efficiently.
Despite not winning the final, McNeice claimed the season-long Boulder title. She’d opened the series in 11th place and followed it with a gold and four silvers. This consistent podium performance throughout the season showed that the wall rewards climbers who keep delivering results, regardless of their starting position.
This was evident in Katz’s win. Climbing exposes the difference between having strength and knowing how to use it effectively. The wall does not reward a strong physique or an impressive resume. It only rewards the climber who can reach the top. A 2026 review of 45 climbing-injury studies found frequent problems involving fingers, hands, shoulders, and ankles, illustrating that the body’s small pulleys and joints are not designed to absorb a climber’s entire ego on day one.
