The nest stage of the European Cup 2026 in speed climbing took place in Barcelona, Spain.
Representing the Donetsk region on the Ukrainian national team was 19-year-old Kseniia Horielova – an athlete of the school of higher sportsmanship in Donetsk oblast, a student of the Donetsk regional specialized professional sports college, and a scholarship recipient from the Donetsk regional state administration.
Among 22 athletes from 12 countries, the representative from Donetsk oblast took second place. In the qualifying round, she posted the fifth-fastest time – 7.529 seconds. Kseniia then successively defeated competitors from Slovenia, Spain and Poland: in the round of 16, her time was 7.84 seconds; in the quarterfinals, 7.75 seconds; and in the semifinals, 7.36 seconds. In the final, Horielova climbed the vertical wall in 7.2 seconds, but this was not enough to beat Spain’s Carla Martínez Vidal, who finished with a time of 6.74 seconds.
The silver medal secured Kseniia’s spot in the European speed climbing Cup final, which will take place in December.
The athlete was trained by Ihor Tyapkin, a coach of the school of higher sportsmanship in Donetsk oblast.