Israel's Yonatan Katz secured the gold medal in the men's boulder final in Salt Lake City, USA, according to a report published October 18, 2026. Katz achieved the win on the final boulder of the competition during only his second appearance at the World Climbing Series senior level.
Entering the final boulder, Katz trailed Great Britain's Max Milne on the leaderboard. The final boulder was a coordination problem that previous finalists were unable to zone. Katz reached the top on his fourth attempt, earning a score of 69.7 points.
With the top score secured, Katz was guaranteed at least a silver medal. Japan's Rei Kawamata finished in third place with 54.2 points after reaching the zone in three attempts. Max Milne finished in second place with 59.7 points after failing to reach the zone on the final boulder.
The podium for the men's boulder competition included Katz in first, Milne in second, and Kawamata in third. Other rankings included Japan's Sohta Amagasa in fifth with 44.4 points, France's Max Bertone in sixth with 35 points, and Israel's Or Mark in seventh with 34.8 points. Great Britain's Dayan Akhtar placed seventh with 34.5 points, and Germany's Elias Krüger Arriagada placed eighth with 19.2 points.
Katz's victory makes him the second climber from Israel to win a medal at a World Climbing Series event, following Alex Khazanov in 2018. Katz stated that he had been working on the specific swing move required for the final boulder for one to two years.
The women's competition and the Boulder series are scheduled to conclude with semi-finals and finals on Sunday.
