The under-11s from South Tyrol (center) climbed onto the winner's podium.

Young climbers sweep the board in Arco

South Tyrol's young climbers made a name for themselves at the Italian Youth Championships in the Arco Climbing Stadium with an impressive medal haul. At the most important national youth competition of the year, the talented athletes of the South Tyrolean Alpine Club (AVS) impressed with numerous top finishes in the Lead, Boulder, Speed, and Combined disciplines over the last weekend of May.

June 04, 2026

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After successfully qualifying through the Junior Cup series, Italy's best climbers in the U11 to U15 age groups met to determine their champions. The South Tyrolean delegation performed particularly well.

The youngest athletes, those in the U11 category, made a real sporting statement. Both the girls' and boys' teams of Team South Tyrol 1 secured the Italian championship title in the team competition with ease. Rafaela Heel, Thilda Rottensteiner, Linda Hell, and Maya Tebaldi stood atop the podium for the girls. The winning boys' team consisted of Alex Paissan, Aaron Hofer, Aramis Riegler, and Alex Gruber. Team South Tyrol 2, comprised of Magdalena Fuchsberger, Laura Fill, Maya Gufler, and Lena Niederbacher, also earned a medal, finishing in third place.

In the U13 category, Theresa Martini from AVS St. Pauls emerged as the standout athlete of the competition. She won gold in both the speed and combined events, as well as silver in the lead event, making her one of the most successful participants in the championship. Her teammate Mia Barbuso took silver in speed and bronze in the combined event.

In the U13 boys' category, Andreas Steinegger from AVS Tramin demonstrated great fighting spirit. Despite an injury, he battled his way to a silver medal in the Lead event. Further podium finishes went to Klemens Hofer from AVS Passeier, who won bronze in the Speed ​​event, and to Damian Lanthaler, also from AVS Passeier, who secured bronze in the Combined event.

South Tyrol also had reason to celebrate in the U15 age group. Nadja Ranalter from AVS Brixen won silver in the combined event and bronze in lead climbing. Vera Nagler, also from AVS Brixen, became Italian vice-champion in bouldering and was delighted with her silver medal.