Torres, Dela Cruz break PH speed climbing records at World Climbing Youth Championship

MANILA, July 23 ------ Young sports climbers Joaquin Torres and Praj Dela Cruz broke Philippine records at the World Climbing Youth Championship in Arco, Italy.

Torres clocked in 5.97 seconds in the men's U19 speed climbing qualification round, finishing 23rd overall out of 56 climbers. The Los Angeles, California-based climber's time breaks the 6.08 seconds record set by John Forones during the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China last April.

Torres' teammate Vans Gasapo finished 51st in the U17 speed climbing category. Dela Cruz broke her own personal best twice, while setting a new Philippine record in women's speed climbing. The 15-year-old climber based in Texas clocked in 8.982 seconds and 9.169 seconds, beating her previous record and personal best of 9.390 seconds set at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December.

Dela Cruz took to social media to express her gratitude to her family, coaches, Pilipinas climbing and everyone who helped her reach this "special milestone." "It took me seven months to officially beat my previous personal best, and finally joining the Sub-9 Club is something I’ve worked toward for a long time. I’m grateful to see that hard work pay off. At the same time, I know there’s still so much room to grow. This isn’t the destination — it’s another step in the journey," Dela Cruz wrote on her Instagram post. "We’ll keep learning, keep training, and keep representing our country with pride," she added.

Dela Cruz placed 24th out of 39 climbers in the U17 women's speed climbing event, while she finished 52nd out of 103 climbers in the U17 women's lead event. Only the top 16 climbers in the qualifications will advance to the final round. Dela Cruz and Gianna Quintela will compete in the U17 category in the women's boulder event on Wednesday. The World Climbing Youth Championship will run until July 25 in Arco, Italy.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com