Italy’s Alex Oberbacher and Spain’s June Villarroel won the 33rd Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon today. Both took victory with stunning comebacks on the descent of one of skyrunning’s most legendary races.
Run as Stage 17 of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series, the Climbathon is as simple as it is brutal. The 24.5 km course climbs 12.25 km from Kinabalu Park Headquarters (1,560 m) to Low’s Peak (4,095 m), more than 2,500 m of ascent. Then it plunges 12.25 km straight back down the same mountain. Set inside a UNESCO Global Geopark, the route takes runners from humid rainforest to exposed granite slopes above 4,000 m.
A RACE OF TWO HALVES
Daniel Antonioli (ITA, Scarpa) led the men’s race through the jungle, while Svetlana Nurmukhametova set the pace for the women. As the athletes climbed higher, everything changed. The jungle gave way to granite slopes, and the thin air began to take its toll.
Antonioli reached the summit first, ahead of Alex Oberbacher (ITA, La Sportiva) and Shoma Otagiri (JPN, Merrell). In the women’s race, Nurmukhametova crested Low’s Peak in the lead, with June Villarroel (ESP, La Sportiva) and Vanja Cnops (BEL, T8) chasing behind.
But on Kinabalu, the summit is only halfway, and the descent turned both races upside down.
OBERBACHER STEALS THE SHOW
On the punishing descent, Oberbacher hunted down his compatriot, snatched the lead and took a sensational victory in 3:20:54. Antonioli held on for second in 3:23:46, and Evgeny Markov (Salomon) completed the podium in 3:29:11.
VILLARROEL’S COMEBACK
Villarroel produced an equally impressive comeback in the women’s race. She overtook Nurmukhametova on the way down and won in 4:09:14. Nurmukhametova finished second in 4:18:45, and Cnops closed the women’s podium in 4:42:19.
Both victories were epic, but the 2025 course records still stand: Gianluca Ghiano’s 3:05:41 and Anastasia Rubtsova’s 3:46:13. Kinabalu’s toughest benchmarks will wait at least another year.
Results: Men
- Alex Oberbacher (ITA, La Sportiva): 3:20:54
- Daniel Antonioli (ITA, Scarpa): 3:23:46
- Evgeny Markov (Salomon): 3:29:11
Results: Women
- June Villarroel (ESP, La Sportiva): 4:09:14
- Svetlana Nurmukhametova: 4:18:45
- Vanja Cnops (BEL, T8): 4:42:19
WHAT’S NEXT
The Merrell Skyrunner® World Series heads to Spain for the Sobrescobio Skyrace on 24–25 October. The weekend also hosts the final of the U23 Trofeo Esteban Olivero.
