Helpmekaar Kollege learner to climb for SA in Finland
Roux Wentzel will compete in the IFSC Youth World Climbing Championship after meeting the selection process earlier this year.
Helpmekaar Kollege learner Roux Wentzel (14) has climbed his way to the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Youth World Climbing Championships, taking place in July in Helsinki, Finland.
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Roux will be representing the South African Protea Climbing team. “It has been my goal to qualify for the Youth World Championships for about a year now, and achieving it felt surreal. I finally knew that all the work I had put in was worth it.”
To be selected to compete at the Youth World Championships, one has to make the podium at the Youth World Championship selection event, for speed climbing specifically. One also has to make a cut off time dependent on your category, which Roux achieved.
Roux began climbing two years ago. “What drew me to the sport was its community. I’ve participated in many sports in my life, but out of all of them climbing has the nicest and most inclusive people.”
His accolades include being the youth national speed climbing champion, and having a silver medal from last year’s National Championships. He noted that the biggest challenge he continuously faces are the injuries he incurs. Whether it’s tendinitis or a tweaked finger, they frustrate him when he has the drive to train, but can’t.
He concluded that, since it was his first year competing internationally, he did not have any goals, in terms of how far he wanted to rank. He simply wanted to climb faster than he ever had, and enjoy the experience.
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