The World Games featured 72 athletes from 12 nations, with 8 athletes representing Team USA including Olympians Emma Hunt, Piper Kelly, Zach Hammer and Sam Watson. Hunt was the only US athlete who had competed in The World Games before; for every other US athlete, this was their first appearance. The competition took place in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province, from August 7–17, with Speed climbing as the only discipline. Athletes competed in a Speed Single, a Speed Single 4, and a Speed Relay round from August 14–16. The Speed Single 4 race has never before been held at The World Games! The most recent TWG event was held in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022.

In total, Team USA earned three medals. Sam Watson won Silver in the Speed Single, meanwhile, the Speed Relay allowed for pairs of athletes to win a medal together. Michael Hom and Logan Schlecht won Silver, while Sam Watson and Zach Hammer took Bronze: both pairs competing in the Speed Relay.

Watson Takes Silver in Men’s Speed Single

In the Speed Single round, Olympian Sam Watson earned Silver at his first World Games appearance with a time of 4.96 seconds. Watson’s fastest time during the round clocked in at 4.87 seconds—just milliseconds behind his personal and world record. With this achievement, Watson placed 2nd overall.

Men’s Speed Single Podium:
Chu Shou Hong (CHN)
Watson Sam Ryan (USA)
Long Jian Guo (CHN)

Hom and Schlecht Reach Semi-Finals in Men’s Speed 4

Michael Hom and Logan Schlecht both advanced to the Semi-Finals of Men’s Speed 4. Hom finished with a time of 5.66 seconds, while Schlecht was close behind with a time of 5.21 seconds. With these performances, Hom placed 7th and Schlecht placed 8th.

All Team USA Men Podium During Men’s Speed Relay

The Speed Relay races featured two-person teams. Hom was paired with Schlecht, while Olympian Zach Hammer was paired with Watson against every other participating country. With a combined time of 10.55 seconds during the Gold medal race, Hom and Schlecht secured Silver for Team USA. Hammer and Watson followed closely behind, taking Bronze, In the bronze medal race, and setting a new world record of 10.06 seconds. For all male athletes, this was their first time competing at The World Games, with Hammer placing 30th overall.

Men’s Speed Relay Podium:
Chu Shou Hong (CHN) & Long Jian Guo (CHN)
Hom Michael Glenn (USA) & Schlecht Logan James (USA)
Hammer Zachary James (USA) & Watson Samuel Ryan (USA)

Hunt Advances to Quarter-Finals in Women’s Speed Single

Olympian Emma Hunt, who won Gold at The World Games in 2022, advanced to Quarter-Finals with her fastest time of the round clocking in at 6.54 seconds, placing 5th overall. Earlier in the round of 16, Hunt raced against fellow teammate Isis Rothfork, who finished the round with a time of 7.31 seconds, placing 12th. Also in the round of 16, Olympian Piper Kelly placed just being Rothfork in 13th with her fastest time during the round being 11.51 seconds.

Also representing Team USA was Sophia Curcio during the Qualification round, who placed 18th overall with a time of 11.45 seconds.

Hunt and Curcio Advance to Quarter-Finals in Women’s Speed 4

Hunt also advanced to Semi-Finals during the Speed Single 4 round, with her fastest time of the round clocking in at 7.55 seconds. Curcio followed closely in Quarter-Finals with a time of 8.51 seconds.

Also representing Team USA in the Qualification round was Rothfork with a time of 7.25 seconds, and Kelly with a time of 7.68 seconds.

Hunt and Curcio Advance to Quarter-Finals in Women’s Speed Relay

For the relay, Hunt was paired with Curcio. Together, the pair made it to Quarter-Finals before finishing with a combined time of 16.42 seconds. Their fastest time of the event was 14.52, a new Pan American record for Women’s Speed Relay.

The USA as a whole placed 7th with 21 medals across 16 sports.

Full results from The World Games Chengdu 2025 can be found here. You can rewatch the finals on the IFSC YouTube Channel.

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