Canada’s Youth National Team completed eight days of international competition at the 2026 World Climbing Youth Championships, held from July 18–25 in Arco, Italy.
Twenty-four Canadian athletes represented the country across Boulder, Lead and Speed in the U17 and U19 categories. The championships brought together large and highly competitive international fields, giving Canada’s developing athletes an important opportunity to compete against many of the world’s leading youth climbers.
Canadian highlights
Canada recorded five semifinal appearances by four athletes across Boulder and Lead:
- Sienna Chow advanced to the U19 Women’s Boulder semifinal and finished 12th overall, Canada’s highest placing of the championships.
- Nicolas Arteau reached two semifinals, placing 18th in U17 Men’s Lead and 19th in U17 Men’s Boulder.
- Avery MacDonald advanced to the U19 Women’s Boulder semifinal and finished 19th overall.
- Grayson Kenny advanced to the U19 Men’s Boulder semifinal and placed 25th overall. Kenny tied for 24th in qualification, expanding the semifinal field to 25 athletes.
In Speed, Bruce Kong produced Canada’s leading result, placing 22nd in U19 Men with a best qualification time of 5.93 seconds.
Canadian results
Boulder
U19 Women
| Athlete | Result |
|---|---|
| Sienna Chow | 12th — semifinal |
| Avery MacDonald | 19th — semifinal |
| Sofia Smale | 56th |
Sienna Chow and Avery MacDonald both advanced from qualification to the semifinal round. Chow’s 12th-place finish was Canada’s highest overall result of the championships.
U19 Men
| Athlete | Result |
|---|---|
| Grayson Kenny | 25th — semifinal |
| Jack Vanderheide | 42nd |
| Antoine Caron | 58th |
Grayson Kenny tied for 24th in qualification and advanced to the semifinal as part of an expanded 25-athlete field. He finished 25th overall.
U17 Women
| Athlete | Result |
|---|---|
| Norah Kelly Bou | 29th |
| Mia Thompson | 55th |
| Anabelle Gonthier | 69th |
Norah Kelly Bou recorded Canada’s highest result in the category, placing 29th.
U17 Men
| Athlete | Result |
|---|---|
| Nicolas Arteau | 19th — semifinal |
| Emile Aubin | 53rd |
| Jasper Selda | Tied for 54th |
Nicolas Arteau advanced from qualification to the semifinal and finished 19th overall.
Lead
U19 Women
| Athlete | Result |
|---|---|
| Sienna Chow | 40th |
| Ashley Kam | 48th |
| Avery MacDonald | 49th |
Sienna Chow earned Canada’s highest placing in the category, finishing 40th.
U19 Men
| Athlete | Result |
|---|---|
| Olivier Turgeon | 37th |
| Jack Vanderheide | 40th |
| Noah Schwartz | 42nd |
Olivier Turgeon led the Canadian results with a 37th-place finish.
U17 Women
| Athlete | Result |
|---|---|
| Emily Shi | Tied for 54th |
| Mia Thompson | Tied for 56th |
| Anabelle Gonthier | 65th |
Emily Shi recorded Canada’s highest result in the category, finishing tied for 54th.
U17 Men
| Athlete | Result |
|---|---|
| Nicolas Arteau | 18th — semifinal |
| Jasper Selda | 55th |
| Emile Aubin | 57th |
Nicolas Arteau advanced to the semifinal and finished 18th overall, Canada’s highest Lead result of the championships.
Speed
U19 Women
| Athlete | Result | Best qualification time |
|---|---|---|
| Avery MacDonald | 23rd | 8.59 seconds |
| Ashley Kam | 27th | 8.92 seconds |
| Iyla Behrns | 28th | 9.46 seconds |
Avery MacDonald led the Canadian U19 women with a 23rd-place finish.
U19 Men
| Athlete | Result | Best qualification time |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Kong | 22nd | 5.93 seconds |
| Ryan Bou | 35th | 6.49 seconds |
| Sam Corsi | 39th | 7.12 seconds |
Bruce Kong earned Canada’s highest Speed placing of the championships, finishing 22nd with a best qualification time of 5.93 seconds.
U17 Women
| Athlete | Result | Best qualification time |
|---|---|---|
| Anabelle Gonthier | 30th | 9.41 seconds |
| Julia Kovats | 33rd | 10.93 seconds |
| Dayvi Strell | 35th | 11.18 seconds |
Anabelle Gonthier led the Canadian U17 women with a 30th-place finish.
U17 Men
| Athlete | Result | Best qualification time |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Stokoe | 43rd | 8.43 seconds |
| Victor Sitar | 48th | 9.28 seconds |
Peter Stokoe recorded Canada’s highest result in the category, finishing 43rd.
Team support and recognition
The Canadian athletes were supported in Arco by coaches Aidan Doyle, Elizabeth Maffett, Frédéric Desgranges, Olivier Dorion-Thériault and Regan Kennedy.
CEC thanks the coaching team for the preparation, technical guidance and care they provided before and throughout the championships.
Competing at the Youth World Championships represents the culmination of years of work. CEC recognizes the dedication, discipline and resilience demonstrated by every Canadian athlete, as well as the substantial contributions made by their families, personal coaches, clubs and communities.
Families play an essential role in supporting the training, travel and development required to reach international competition. CEC extends its appreciation to everyone who helped these athletes earn the opportunity to represent Canada on the world stage.
Congratulations to the athletes, coaches and the entire Canadian support network.
