Ritsu Kayotani
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| Nationality | Japanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | April 15, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Ritsu Kayotani (通谷 律 Kayotani Ritsu); born April 15, 2006) is a Japanese professional rock climber, specializing in bouldering and competition climbing.[1]
Kayotani began competing at IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships in 2022.[2] At age 16, he won the boulder title at the 2022 Youth World Championships.[3] He continued to excel in youth competitions – winning consecutive Youth World Championship bouldering titles in 2023 and 2024.[4][5]
Climbing career
Competition climbing
Kayotani began competing in senior competitions at age 17, entering the Boulder World Cups in 2023 – consistently making semi-finals.[1] In 2024, he placed sixth at the Boulder World Cup in Innsbruck.[6] In 2025, Kayotani won the gold medal in the men's boulder event at the IFSC Climbing Asian Cup held in Hong Kong.[7]
In January 2026, Kayotani announced that he would step away from competitive climbing to focus on rock climbing.[8]
Bouldering
At age 14, Kayotani sent his first V15 (8C) boulder - Gekirin in Nagasaki, first ascended by Dai Koyamada.[9]
In May and October 2025, Kayotani sent two V16 (8C+) boulders: Nexus in Shiobara and Floatin in Mizugaki.[10]
Rankings
World Cup
| Discipline[1] | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Boulder | 12 | 8 |
World Youth Championships
| Discipline | 2022 Youth A[11] |
2023 Youth A[12] |
2024 Junior[13] |
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| Boulder | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lead | 4 | - | - |