In early August, two rock climbing competitions in the Olympic “speed” discipline took place in the Austrian city of Sankt Pölten: the European Cup stage for adults and the European Cup stage for youth and juniors.
Six athletes from 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.
Among the female athletes in the U19 age group, which included a total of 21 participants from 8 countries, Mariia Shymkova won the silver medal. With the fastest time in the qualifying round – 7.937 seconds – she advanced to the finals, where she defeated competitors from Italy, Slovenia and Germany in succession, but lost to her French opponent in the decisive “race” on the vertical wall.
Three athletes from the Donetsk region – Anna Falieiva, Vladyslava Panchenko and Roman Ovcharenko –competed in the U17 age group but failed to advance to the finals. Their qualifying times were 10.91, 11.018, and 8.819 seconds, respectively.
Also three climbers of the Donetsk oblast competed in the European Cup for adults. Among 24 participants from 12 countries, Kseniia Horielova won the silver medal, Daria Tkachova took bronze, and Mariia Shymkova finished in fifth place. Kseniia, as determined by the draw, defeated Mariia and Daria, as well as a competitor from Great Britain, on her way to the medal, but lost to a representative from Spain in the final. Horielova's best time in this competition was 7.52 seconds, Tkachova's was 7.53 seconds, and Shymkova's was 7.73 seconds.
The Donetsk region’s rock climbers were trained by coaches Ihor Tyapkin, Maryna Tkachova and Yaroslav Tkach.