Lukan junior world champion in lead

Lukan junior world champion in lead, Potočar silver medalist, total of 5 medals for Slovenia.



After junior Vita Lukan won the bronze medal in bouldering at the World Junior Sport Climbing Championships on August 12, she stepped onto the top podium step in lead on August 15 in Moscow. Luka Potočar became junior world silver medalist in the cadet category in lead and thus joined junior Urška Repušič and cadet Lučka Rakovec, who won silver in bouldering. The Slovenian junior national team is returning home with a total of five medals.



After an excellent start to the World Junior Sport Climbing Championships, when the Slovenian junior national team won three medals in bouldering - junior Urška Repušič and cadet Lučka Rakovec celebrated silver, junior Vita Lukan bronze -, the Slovenian anthem also sounded in Russia, in honor of the new junior world champion in lead Vita Lukan, who defeated the world's competition in the junior category. The Slovenian success in Moscow was complemented by cadet Luka Potočar with second place in lead.



Seventeen-year-old junior Vita Lukan (ŠPO PD Radovljica) climbed flawlessly in Moscow to claim the junior world champion title in lead climbing. "I'm really happy that everything came together and I managed to step onto the top podium. I approached the final routes quite thoughtfully, prepared myself mentally to attack the route, rest where needed, and try to reach the top. I fell from the top, but I'm satisfied with the performance, which is one of the best I've shown in Moscow," rejoiced the young Radovljica native, who this year became junior European silver medalist among juniors, and in Moscow, besides the win in lead, she also took third place in bouldering, which is an excellent foundation for the Youth Olympic Games awaiting her in October: "I'm happy to be close to the top in both disciplines, so I'm looking forward to the Youth Olympic Games too. If I climb bouldering and lead well, I can have a slightly worse result in speed and the overall will still be fine." Before that, we will cheer for Lukan - and also for the rest of the Slovenian national team led by title defender Janja Garnbret - in September at the World Championships in Innsbruck: "The senior World Championships is a moment in the season that most competitors peak for. Moscow is right behind Innsbruck in importance, where I hope to show even better form." Second and third places went to Frenchwomen Nolwenn Arc and Nina Arthaud. The other Slovenian finalist Urška Repušič (ŠPO APD Kozjak) was fifth.



Luka Potočar (ŠPO PD Radovljica) took care of the fifth Slovenian medal with second place in the cadet category, although despite reaching the top of the final route, he had to admit defeat to Japanese Hidemasa Nishida, with whom they were very evenly matched throughout and a step ahead of the competition. "I climbed very well, we were very close with the winner, the qualifying route decided. I climbed the semifinals well, the final even better, without major mistakes. Maybe the routes suited us better than others. Endurance was key, the routes were quite short, and if you're well prepared, the last part of the route wasn't too hard. I've been waiting for this for a long time, this year it finally happened and I'm really happy with the podium," smiled the 16-year-old Jesenice native, who this year became junior European silver medalist and won the overall junior European Cup, both in lead, and also performed successfully in his first two senior competitions: "Semifinals at the senior competitions in Villars and Chamonix were a pleasant surprise, next year I hope for a final too." In Moscow, third was Japanese Katsura Konishi. Lukan and Potočar, both training under Domen Švab, thus continue the victorious tradition of ŠPO PD Radovljica, which Domen Škofic took the highest.



"The World Championships in Moscow was very successful for our team, before the start I wouldn't have dared predict that we would bring home five medals. Given that the competition at the World Championships is significantly greater than at any other junior competition in the entire season, reaching the final is already a great success, winning a medal is truly top-notch. I'm really happy that we managed it five times. We expected more only in the category of older girls and cadets, where we counted on a final in lead, otherwise I would praise this year's team, which prepared diligently, functioned excellently at the championships, and added the icing on the cake with good atmosphere," said satisfied selector of the Slovenian junior national sport climbing team Anže Štremfelj.



In the semifinals of the World Junior Championships in lead climbing, Lucija Tarkuš (AK Impol Slovenska Bistrica, 9th among older girls up to 16 years), Mia Krampl (AO PD Kranj), 11th among juniors up to 20 years, Lučka Rakovec (ŠD Proteus), 14th among cadets up to 18 years, junior Tjaša Slemenšek (Šaleški AO), older girl Maja Majcen (ŠPO PD Celje Matica) and older boy Anej Batagelj (Društvo za razvoj plezalne kulture) were 17th, older girl Letija Fajfar (AO PD Kranj) 18th, and junior Matic Kotar (ŠD Proteus) 25th. Cadet Žiga Zajc (PS Ascendo) qualified 27th and older boy Bine Meke (PS DPČ Šmartno) 45th.



The junior national team awaits the European Junior Championships in bouldering from August 31 to September 2, the juniors will also compete at the senior World Championships starting September 6 in Innsbruck, and in October Vita Lukan and Lučka Rakovec will represent Slovenia at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.