Italian Fabio Ruga repeats his victory in the 'XX Vertical Climb to the Gran Hotel Bali' and in the women's race, the Austrian Annemarie Wilhelm takes the win

Italian athlete Fabio Ruga won the 20th edition of the "Vertical Climb to the Gran Hotel Bali" this morning, completing the course in 4 minutes and 37 seconds. This is his second victory at this venue, having also won last year. In the women's category, Austrian Annemarie Wilhelm took first place with a time of 5 minutes and 50 seconds. In the men's race, Ivan Vuletic finished second (4 minutes and 43 seconds) and Emanuele Manzi third (4 minutes and 58 seconds), while in the women's race, Valentina Belotti finished second (5 minutes and 56 seconds) and Kamila Chomanicova third (6 minutes and 6 seconds).

The awards ceremony took place at the conclusion of the Elite race, an event that also included the presentation of prizes to the top finishers in the equipped firefighters category and the Open category. Among those present were the councillors for Historical Heritage, Sports, and Urban Scene, Ana Pellicer, Javier Jordá, and Francis Muñoz, respectively.

Once again, the race was a resounding success in terms of participation and the anticipation it generated well in advance. It is, after all, one of the classic races on the Towerrunning World Association circuit, which reached its maximum registration limit a month in advance. Furthermore, for the ninth consecutive year, the race is included in the international circuit's calendar. With its 52 floors, 924 steps, and 190 meters of elevation gain, the Bali stair climb is a world-renowned event in the discipline.

More than 550 athletes took part in the event across three categories: Firefighters in full gear, Open, and Elite, with participants from numerous countries.

The first race, the Firefighters in full gear, began at 10:00 a.m. and was won by Hutois Hutois with a time of 7:18, ahead of Carlos Tejeda (7:20) and Joakin Torres (7:22). The Open category started at 11:00 a.m., with four runners starting at 30-second intervals. Hutois Hutois was the overall winner with a time of 5:32; second place went to David Concepción with 5:37, and Sergio Olivares took third with a time of 5:48.