Lucy climbs to 25th spot

Napier rock climber Lucy Whitehead. Photo / Warren Buckland

Napier's Lucy Whitehead has no trouble climbing the walls - in fact she's pretty good at it.

The 15-year-old was part of the New Zealand team and one of nearly 300 young climbers from 27 countries who travelled to the island city of Noumea, New Caledonia, to participate in the IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships recently..

Lucy was selected to represent New Zealand with a team of 12 other youngsters competing in the Under-16, Under-18 and junior age groups. For most of them it was the first time competing on the world stage.

Lucy's mother Anna Whitehead said her daughter fundraised nearly half of her trip by selling chocolates, organised raffles and a mini-golf tournament at the new National Park Mini Golf Course.

Her mother said the SAE Magenta climbing wall used at the championship, a 19m climbing construction with a massive overhang, was a challenge for the team who also had to deal with the high humidity.

"The climbs were either in the morning or later on in the afternoon, to avoid the heat a little."

Each competitor had two qualification climbs, the first 26 in each category qualifying for the semifinals. The next day the eight best went through to the final.

The Napier youngster eventually finished 25th in her division and the New Zealand team had five athletes in the semifinals.

Mrs Whitehead said her daughter's training in the re-opened climbing hall in Napier was a definite help for the Napier Girls' High student.