BUDAPEST, Hungary — Zach Hammer sang his favorite song as he exited the gate for Speed Finals at the Olympic Qualifier Series Budapest. Springing into action alongside Hryhorii Ilchyshyn of Ukraine, Hammer won his 1/8 final race with an impressive time of 5.15 seconds, securing him 7th place at the Budapest event and 6th place in the Olympic Qualifier Series as a whole. With that, Hammer joins Team USA for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the first Olympic Games to feature the Speed discipline as its own medal event.

“It’s been a long journey and I’m super proud of myself,” said Hammer, with his ticket to Paris in hand. “I want to thank all my coaches and my family. They’re all here to support me and celebrate and I couldn’t do it without them. This means so much!”

Hammer is the 7th US climber to officially qualify for Paris, alongside Sam Watson in Men’s Speed. Full results from the Olympic Qualifier Series Budapest can be found here, while global standings can be found here. You can rewatch all the Speed rounds of the Olympic Qualifier Series on Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.

Sport Climbing will make its second Olympic appearance from August 5-10, 2024 at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

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