World climbing champion Maksym Petrenko killed at front. PHOTO
Ukrainian soldier, professional climber, world climbing champion Maksym Petrenko was killed in the battle for Toretsk.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Ukrainian athlete Yevhen Krivosheytsev.
"In the battle with the Russian invaders for the city of Toretsk, defending Ukraine from Putin's hordes, my old friend and long-term climbing partner died," the post reads.
Maksym Petrenko was a two-time world champion and international master of sports in rock climbing.
According to 4sport, the athlete died at the age of 46. He was a native of the now occupied Luhansk.
Maksym repeatedly won medals, including gold, at youth competitions.
- In 1994, Maksym won a silver medal at the World Youth Climbing Championships in Germany.
- In 1996, at the World Youth Climbing Championships in Moscow, Maksym won the top prize - gold.
- In 1997, at the World Youth Climbing Championships in Imst, Austria, Maksym also won the main award - gold. The same year, at a tournament in the Czech Republic, he won the European Youth Cup.
At adult international competitions, the highest award was a bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships in Birmingham. Back then, he became the first Ukrainian and still the only one to win a medal at the World Adult Climbing Championships in the difficulty discipline.
He climbed routes up to the 8c+ category - one of the hardest - both on rocks in Crimea and abroad.
