Aylmer teen competes in Climbing Youth World Championships in South Korea

Sophie Demers 

Local teenager, Maxime Thérien, will be competing in South Korea in the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s (IFSC) Climbing Youth World Championships after qualifying in the national competition. 

The 16-year-old Mont Bleu student had been climbing for nearly nine years, according to his father, Xavier Thérien, and has been training almost every day for six years to improve his skills for competitive circuits.

The local athlete did climbing summer camps at the Altitude gym in Gatineau when he was younger, and he eventually joined their competitive team. He has competed in various competitions in Ontario and Quebec, in Kingston, Montreal, and Quebec City. 

The Climbing Youth World Championship will take place from August 19 to 27 in South Korea and will gather young climbers from around the world. The championships have three different age categories: Juniors, Youth A and Youth B. The ages of competitors range from 14 to 19. 

There are three types of competitions: lead, boulder, and speed. Lead involves climbing the wall as high as possible using safety ropes, while bouldering is a form of climbing that does not use ropes or harnesses.

There are landing mats that reduce the risk of injury if the athlete falls. Lastly, there is speed climbing which involves climbing a 15-meter wall as fast as possible. Harnesses are used in this type of climbing. 

“It’s been incredible to watch him reach his goals and compete in high caliber championships,” said Thérien senior. He also highlighted that sharing the joys of competitive sports with his son has been a highlight for him, as he played competitive table tennis for 20 years. 

Thérien senior explains that there is also a large financial aspect to competitive sports and the two-week trip to South Korea is costly. To supplement the costs, the young athlete has set up a donation page. 

Those interested in supporting a young local athlete can do so through Maxime’s Go Fund Me page https://gofund.me/b5fd5724  

Photo caption: Maxime Thérien, a local 16-year-old athlete climbing in a provincial competition this year. 

Photo credit: Courtesy of Xavier Thérien.