Indian Teen Climber Ameiyra Khosla Creates National Record at World Youth Championship

New national record
In the Youth B qualification round, Ameiyra climbed the fastest she ever has in her career. She broke her own national mark of 7.74 seconds by 0.14 seconds to 7.60 seconds in the 15-metre standardised wall.

The coaches said the improvement was due to months of focused training on starts, transitions and endurance. “She’s been shaving milliseconds off every week,” said her coach. "To do it on an international stage shows real composure.

Impressive finish on the world stage  
The finals brought together the world’s top 8 climbers, including some strong challengers from China, Japan and Indonesia. Ameiyra remained composed in the quarters and semis and placed sixth overall.

This result is significant for India, which is still building its competitive climbing ecosystem. This is the first time that a youth climber from India has made it to the final of a world championship and has been placed in the top 6.

Breaking her own record
Ameiyra’s national record time of 7.74 seconds was set at a selection event earlier this year. That it bettered it twice in one season was a good sign of consistency,” said officers from the Indian Mountaineering and Climbing Federation.

“I think it’s just a lot of technique work,” she said. “And mental work. After the final, she said, "I just tried to stay clean and focus on my own race.

Indian climbing gets big boost  
It's being called a landmark by the Indian climbing community. Officials hope Ameiyra’s performance will inspire more schools and academies to invest in the sport as climbing is set to grow in the run-up to future Olympic cycles.

The Delhi teenager is aiming to go under 7.5 seconds and target a podium at the next World Youth event.