The Grand Finale of the VK OPEN Championships saw course records smashed at the Vertical Ruy in Bulgaria, Saturday, October 18, 2025.
Arnau Soldevila from Andorra and Sladjana Zagorac from Serbia were crowned 2025 VK OPEN Champions.
The Vertical Ruy, a 4.3 km course with 930m vertical climb, finished on the summit of Mount Ruy at 1,706m altitude. First to cross the finish line was Andorran Arnau Soldevila, who placed third in last year’s VK OPEN. He clocked 36’58”, crushing the course record by a full minute and securing not only the race victory but also the overall VK OPEN Champion title and trophy.
“I’m very happy to be here in Bulgaria. The circuit was ideal for me – a sustained and demanding vertical with steep gradients of around 30%. From the start, I felt strong and fought for victory with Inui and Pagnuev, ultimately taking the overall championship title,” he stated.
Second place went to Suguru Inui from Japan, closing in 37’05”, and third was Aleksei Pagnuev (AIN) in 37’53”. Their scores put both athletes on the overall VK OPEN podium with just a single point separating them.
First woman to reach the finish line in 44’01” was Yuki Ikegami from Japan, slicing an incredible 8’53” off the women’s record. Despite her excellent performance, her score wasn’t enough to secure the top of the final VK OPEN podium which went to Sladjana Zagorac from Serbia. She finished the race in 44’47”, moving up from third to first place in the ranking.
“The race was truly an incredible experience. I wasn’t sure how I would perform, especially knowing that the competition would be strong, so I gave it everything I had. I’m very proud of this result, particularly because this year has been full of ups and downs. It’s a great reminder that with hard work and dedication, our dreams really can become reality,” commented Zagorac.
“I’m also especially happy to have achieved this victory in my sister’s country, Bulgaria. My heartfelt thanks go to the organizers from the Tran Tourist Association for making this event so memorable.”
Third place went to Italian Corinna Ghirardi, 2024 VK OPEN champion, who finished in 46’10”, securing also her third place on the VK OPEN Championships podium – a single point off second woman Ikegami.
Georgi Palahutev, team organiser from Tran Tourist Association stated, “This is the first big sports event in the area of Tran, Western Bulgaria. A team of some 20 people worked together to make it possible, plus another 20 people on the course to ensure everything went smoothly for the participants.
It was a great honour to organize the Grand Finale of the VK OPEN Championships here in Bulgaria.
The 2025 VK OPEN Championships closed with the Grand Finale after eight races in six countries. The global circuit, inspired by the Vertical Kilometer®, began in Brazil and travelled through Italy, Spain, Portugal and Andorra, concluding in Bulgaria.
In the final ranking 298 athletes from 21 countries took points.
Looking forward to the 2026 VK OPEN Championships with some exciting changes which will be announced shortly.
*World Champion titles are awarded based on a maximum three races – two plus the Grand Finale where double points are assigned. (Points are assigned to the first 20 male and female finishers in each race).
VK OPEN Championships final ranking
MEN
1. Arnau Soldevila (AND) 367 points
2. Suguru Inui (JPN) 338 points
3. Aleksei Pagnuev (AIN) 337 points
4. Vítor Faria (POR) 300 points
5. Luca Lizzoli (ITA) 278 points
WOMEN
1. Sladjana Zagorac (SRB) 369 points
2. Yuki Ikegami (JPN) 365 points
3. Corinna Ghirardi (ITA) 354 points
4. Laureen Teixeira (POR) 312 points
5. Charlotte Cotton (BEL) 296 points
Vertical Ruy race results
MEN
1. Arnau Soldevila (AND) 36’58”
2. Suguru Inui (JPN) 37’05”
3. Aleksei Pagnuev (AIN) 37’53”
4. Vitalii Chernov (AIN) 39’16”
5. Luca Lizzoli (ITA) 39’44”
WOMEN
1. Yuki Ikegami (JPN) 44’01”
2. Sladjana Zagorac (SRB) 44’47”
3. Corinna Ghirardi (ITA) 46’10”
4. Charlotte Cotton (BEL) 47’16”
5. Laureen Teixeira (POR) 50’43”
2025 VK OPEN Calendar
2025 VK OPEN Ranking (updating)
CC Certified Course Label
Race website
Full race results
