From August 7 to 9, the Slovak city of Žilina hosted a stage of the European Rock Climbing Cup, which brought together about 200 participants from 27 countries.
Four athletes of the Donetsk region competed as members of the Ukrainian national team – representatives of the region’s School of higher sportsmanship and the Donetsk regional specialized professional sports college, all of whom are masters of sports of Ukraine: Polina Khalkevych, Mariia Shymkova, Kseniia Horielova and Daria Tkachova.
In the women’s “speed” discipline, where 26 competitors from 12 countries vied for the title, all four climbers from Donetsk oblast made it into the top eight. They first successfully advanced through the qualifying round and then through the round of 16.
In the quarterfinals, Daria Tkachova was eliminated after finishing with a time of 7.83 seconds, losing to Mariia Shymkova (7.54 s), as was Kseniia Horielova – her time of 7.95 s was slower than that of her Polish opponent.
Polina Khalkevych and Mariia Shymkova advanced to the final. In the semifinal heats, they defeated two Polish competitors, clearing the vertical wall in 6.76 and 7.62 seconds, respectively.
The decisive showdown between the two athletes from Donetsk oblast ended in victory for Polina Khalkevych. She clocked a time of 6.67 seconds, while Mariia Shymkova finished in 7.47 seconds.
Thus, Polina Khalkevych won the gold medal at the European Cup stage, while Maria Shymkova took silver. The two athletes’ joint performance of the Ukrainian national anthem on the podium was particularly symbolic.
Kseniia Horielova achieved another success in Žilina. In the competition for athletes under 21, she clocked a time of 7.95 seconds and finished ahead of six rivals to take first place.
The climbers of Donetsk oblast were prepared for the competition by coaches Ihor Tyapkin, Maryna Tkachova and Yaroslav Tkach.