Roux Wentzel (14) from Helpmekaar Kollege in Johannesburg has recently been chosen to represent the South African Protea Climbing team at the International Federation of Sport Climbing Youth World Climbing Championships in July in Helsinki, Finland.

The climber who began the sport two years ago said his latest accolade is a silver medal he received from last year’s national championships, Rosebank Killarney Gazette reports.

Roux explained the process of being selected: “To be selected to compete at the Youth World Championships, you have to make the podium at the Youth World Championship selection event that was held in Johannesburg this year.

“For speed climbing specifically, you also have to make a cut-off time that depends on your category.”

The climber said that because it would be his first year competing internationally, he did not have any goals in terms of how far he wanted to rank, but simply wanted to climb faster than he ever had and enjoy the experience.