The USA woke up to news of not one but two world record times set by Sam Watson at the IFSC World Cup Wujiang 2024. Speed climbing’s first World Cup of the season is just getting started, but Watson wasted no time during the Men’s Qualification round. During his first run of the day, he hit the buzzer at just 4.85 seconds, beating the previous world record of 4.90 seconds held by Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo. During Watson’s second run of the day, he shaved another .06 seconds off of his own record, cementing the new world record at 4.79 seconds. Watson, who traveled to China from his home in Texas, is one of six USA Climbing athletes already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Kicking off this weekend’s competition with the world’s fastest time in speed climbing is proof enough that you don’t want to miss Watson’s 2024 season. Meanwhile, Emma Hunt of Georgia finished 1st in the women’s qualification round, the first time she’s ever done so at a World Cup. Like Watson, Hunt is no stranger to smashing speed records – she broke her own Women’s Speed Pan American Record (6.67 seconds) and set the Women’s Speed American Record (6.54 seconds) just one month ago at the USA Climbing National Team Trials. Her time at Wujiang was the fastest of the day for the women, clocking in at just 6.44 seconds. Official competition results can be found here. You can watch the IFSC World Cup Wujiang 2024 live (or on-demand at any time after the event) on the IFSC YouTube Channel.
World Cup season continues with the IFSC World Cup Wujiang 2024 from April 12-14! Hosted at the Fenhu Culture And Sports Center, the second World Cup of the season will feature the Lead and Speed disciplines. USA Climbing Athletes Who Are Competing 19 athletes traveled to China to represent the USA at this event: Men’s Lead Colin Duffy Hugo Hoyer Declan Osgood Women’s Lead Adriene Akiko Clark Kyra Condie Helen Gillett Alyssa Keanini Olivia Ma Men’s Speed Noah Bratschi John Brosler Zach Hammer Thomas Lin Rafe Stokes Sam Watson Women’s Speed Kaitlyn Bone Sophia Curcio Emma Hunt Piper Kelly Isis Rothfork How To Watch You can watch the IFSC World Cup Wujiang 2024 live (or on-demand at any time after the event) on the IFSC YouTube Channel. It all starts with the speed qualification round, streaming at 4:55 a.m. MDT on Friday, April 12. Reference the IFSC’s “live” tab for the most up-to-date stream times. You can also find the latest competition news on the IFSC website and social media channels.
The North American Cup Series returns for 2024, kicking off at USA Climbing’s own National Training Center in Downtown Salt Lake City! Click here for tickets. Wednesday, April 24 9:00 a.m. | Men’s Lead Qualification 4:00 p.m | Women’s Lead Qualification Thursday, April 25 10:00 a.m. | Lead Semi-Final 6:00 p.m. | Lead Final Friday, April 26 9:00 a.m. | Men’s Boulder Qualification 4:30 p.m. | Women’s Boulder Qualification Saturday, April 27 10:00 a.m. | Boulder Semi-Final 6:00 p.m. | Boulder Final Sunday, April 28 11:00 a.m. | Speed Qualification 3:00 p.m. | Speed Final Tickets: General Admission tickets will be available. ADA areas will also be available. Click here to purchase your tickets today!
World Cup season is here! The IFSC World Cup Keqiao 2024 is the inaugural Boulder competition of the season, hosted at the Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan Sport Climbing Centre. USA Climbing Athletes Who Are Competing Six athletes traveled to China over the weekend to represent the USA at this event: Women’s Boulder Kyra Condie Helen Gillett Nekaia Sanders Men’s Boulder Colin Duffy Simon Hibbeler Hugo Hoyer Kyra Condie’s performance in the women’s qualification round earned her a spot in the semi-final round (IFSC results). Due to heavy rainfall, the men’s qualification round was cancelled, and the semi-final round used the qualification format. Meanwhile, the final round of the men’s competition, which Colin Duffy’s performance earned him a spot in (IFSC results), featured 20 athletes in a semi-final format. How To Watch You can watch the semi-final and final rounds live (or on-demand at any time after the event) on the IFSC YouTube Channel. The women’s semi-final will start streaming at 10:55 p.m. MDT on Monday, April 8. Given the schedule changes caused by weather, reference the IFSC’s “live” tab for the most up-to-date stream times. You can also find the latest competition news on the IFSC website and social media channels.
Once again Salt Lake City is hosting the world’s best competition climbers as it welcomes back two IFSC World Cup events this May! Click here for tickets. Boulder & Speed, May 3-5 Join us for a weekend of competition as we gather at USA Climbing’s own National Training Center in Downtown Salt Lake City! Friday, May 3 9:00 a.m. | Men’s Boulder Qualification 3:30 p.m. | Women’s Boulder Qualification Saturday, May 4 10:00 a.m. | Men’s Boulder Semi-Final 3:45 p.m. | Women’s Speed Qualification 6:00 p.m. | Men’s Boulder Final 8:00 p.m. | Women’s Speed Final Awards Ceremony Following Finals Sunday, May 5 10:00 a.m. | Women’s Boulder Semi-Final 3:45 p.m. | Men’s Speed Qualification 6:00 p.m. | Women’s Boulder Final 8:00 p.m. | Men’s Speed Final Awards Ceremony Following Finals Tickets: General Admission tickets, as well as limited Preferred Seating tickets, are available. ADA areas will also be available. Click here for tickets to the Boulder & Speed World Cup. Paraclimbing, May 7-8 This year’s Paraclimbing World Cup will be will be hosted at Momentum Indoor Climbing Millcreek! Join us as we gather to watch the world’s best paraclimbers compete in this amazing facility. Tuesday, May 7 9:00 a.m. | Paraclimbing Qualification Wednesday, May 8 12:00 p.m. | Paraclimbing Finals Tickets: Tickets are General Admission with some seating available. ADA areas will also be available. Click here for tickets to the Paraclimbing World Cup. Click here to purchase your tickets today!
The Youth National Championships return for 2024 and will be hosted at USA Climbing’s very own National Training Center in Salt Lake City, UT, July 7-14. Twenty-four national champions will be crowned as young athletes compete in bouldering, lead, and speed over the nine-day Youth National Championships. “We couldn’t be more excited for the Youth National Championships to return to Salt Lake City,” said John Muse,VP of Sport at USA Climbing. “Our Training Center has hosted bouldering and lead finalists in the past, but this will be the first year that all climbers in all disciplines will have access to our competition terrain.” Competitor Registration Windows Normal Registration Period Normal Registration Begins: Tuesday, June 18 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) MT Normal Registration Deadline: Friday, June 21 at 11:59 p.m. MT Registration Fee: $ 175 + $55 per discipline Extended Registration Period Extended Registration Begins: Saturday, June 22 Extended Registration Deadline: Wednesday, June 26 at 11:59 p.m. MT Registration Fee: $225 + $55 per discipline Late Registration Period Late Registration Begins: Thursday, June 27 Late Registration Deadline: Friday, July 5 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) MT Registration Fee: $425 + $55 per discipline Additionally, the tentative event schedule can be found here. Spectator Information Competitors will receive a plus one ticket for each round of competition they participate in. Spectator tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, June 18 in line with the competitor registration opening. Ample tickets will be available for purchase. HB 257 Information USA Climbing recognizes that the recent passing of HB 257 affects trans and non-binary members. USA Climbing does not support this legislation and remains committed to fostering an environment where all climbers feel welcome and can strive for success. The USA Climbing Training Center is a privately owned space that is not required to comply with HB 257. Moreover, the facility will have gender-neutral bathroom options for participants. For those who are traveling to Utah and would like more information about HB 257, check out the HB 257 FAQs provided to us by the ACLU of Utah and Equality Utah. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions. As more competition information and resources become available, they will be added to the Youth National Championships landing page.
The 2024 USA Climbing Paraclimbing National Championships will be held at Sportrock Rio in Gaithersburg, MD on March 9-10, 2024. The top three (3) ranked U.S. athletes per gender in each category will go on to represent the U.S. as a part of the Paraclimbing National Team. Paraclimbing has seen a massive leap in growth over the past several years and this year’s National Championship event is sure to be even bigger and more competitive than ever before. Al Smith and Pete Woods will host live streams for the Finals on Outside Watch. You can watch them live at the times below or on-demand at any time post event. HOW TO WATCH (all times EST) Tuesday, March 10 | Paraclimbing National Championships 11:00 a.m. | Paraclimbing Finals (Session 1) – LIVE on Outside Watch 3:30 p.m. | Paraclimbing Finals (Session 2) – LIVE on Outside Watch
The 2024 National Team Trials concluded last night with Boulder Finals at Sportrock Rio in Gaithersburg, MD. Athletes battled for spots on the National Team Trials podium and on the 2024 Boulder National Team, which designates athletes to represent the U.S. at international World Cup events sanctioned by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). Ben Hanna managed to flash Boulders 1 and 2 and get the Zone on Boulder 4, earning him 3rd place. Dillon Countryman had already secured his 2nd place finish before starting Boulder 4, having sent Boulders 1, 2, and 3, but also sent Boulder 4 in just two quick attempts for good measure. Hugo Hoyer, who entered the round in 6th, wooed the crowd with an impressive comeback, flashing every single boulder and finishing in 1st place. “I felt like everything I worked on training at home just kind of finally came together,” said Hoyer, who’s already looking forward to the summer and next year’s competitions. Dillon Countryman and Hugo Hoyer both earned enough National Team Ranking points to join the 2024 Boulder National Team. For the first time in USA Climbing history, a Women’s Finalist was briefly interrupted by a fire alarm while on the wall, triggered by another business in the complex. Luckily, athletes and spectators were evacuated and then back inside in about 10 minutes, with Clark returning to battle with Boulder 3 after warming back up. Adriene Akiko Clark, Analise Van Hoang, and Nekaia Sanders all powered to the top of Boulders 1, 2, and 4. By the time Helen Gillett was on Boulder 4, she only needed to reach the Zone to finish in 1st. After one slip on the volume, she did just that, smiling and looking back to the crowd, which erupted in applause. Gillett finished 1st, followed by Van Hoang and Sanders. “I’ve been focusing on being in a good place with myself and having fun climbing and trying to bring that here,” said Gillett after her knockout performance. Melina Costanza and Helen Gillett both earned enough National Team Ranking points to join the 2024 Boulder National Team. Men’s Boulder Podium: Hugo Hoyer Dillon Countryman Ben Hanna Women’s Boulder Podium: Helen Gillett Analise Van Hoang Nekaia Sanders 2024 Boulder National Team: Kyra Condie Melina Costanza Kylie Cullen Helen Gillett Natalia Grossman Brooke Raboutou Annie Sanders Dillon Countryman Colin Duffy Jesse Grupper Hugo Hoyer The Boulder Finals Round is currently streaming on Outside Watch.
The 2024 National Team Trials continued on Wednesday with Semi-Final and Final Rounds in Lead. The stakes were twofold: spots on the National Team Trials podium and on the 2024 Lead National Team, which designates athletes to represent the U.S. at international World Cup events sanctioned by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). The eight highest-ranked women and men entered Finals, which began with a route preview. All competitors had a chance to view and discuss the Finals route, some even donning binoculars to get a better look. Meanwhile, a packed crowd (including athletes from the Qualification Round, family members, reporters, and even Mayor of Gaithersburg, Jud Ashman) closed in around the lead alcove of Sportrock Rio. The Women’s Finals boiled down to Annie Sanders, Olivia Ma, and Adriene Akiko Clark setting the high point, and all falling from or just past the 36th hold, a thin undercling. This spurred a judgement related to rule 7.11.2 (b)(iv) of the USA Climbing Rulebook which states a competitor’s score is paused at the last scored hold from which a quickdraw can be clipped, as deemed by the Chief Routesetter. During one competitor’s attempt, as she was moving past hold 36, a Head Judging Official immediately consulted with the Chief Routesetter to determine which hold was the last one from which the draw could be clipped, and that resulted in the competitor’s score being paused at 36. The competitor’s attempt was not terminated by an official. With the Semi-Finals performance in mind, Sanders ultimately finished 1st, followed by Ma and Clark. Annie Sanders and Melina Costanza both earned enough National Team Ranking points to join the 2024 Lead National Team. Ben Hanna was the first to find a drop knee/kneebar resting position on the Men’s Route, allowing him to pause longer than the other competitors before venturing into the final headwall. He fell from the 38th hold, setting a highpoint and earning him 3rd place. Soon after, Hugo Hoyer was moving faster through the lower moves and managed to control the 40th hold, a large, slopey pinch that slipped through Hanna’s fingers. Declan Osgood was the last Men’s competitor of the night, looking calm and collected through most of the Finals Route. He controlled the 40th hold, same as Hoyer, and was even able to bump higher on the pinch, setting up his feet to lunge for the 41st hold, but ultimately logging the 40th as his last controlled hold. Declan Osgood and Hugo Hoyer both earned enough National Team Ranking points to join the 2024 Lead National Team. Women’s Lead Podium: Annie Sanders Olivia Ma Adriene Akiko Clark Men’s Lead Podium: Declan Osgood Hugo Hoyer Ben Hanna 2024 Lead National Team: Kyra Condie Melina Costanza Kylie Cullen Natalia Grossman Brooke Raboutou Annie Sanders Colin Duffy Jesse Grupper Hugo Hoyer Declan Osgood The Lead Finals Round is currently streaming on Outside Watch. Photo highlights from the Lead Finals Round can be found HERE (photos by Dan Gajda, not available for commercial use).
The 2024 National Team Trials kicked off yesterday in Gaithersburg, MD. As rain fell on Sportrock Rio, the country’s top speed climbers battled for spots on the podium and on the National Team. Of course, National Team athletes will be designated to represent the U.S. at international World Cup events sanctioned by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). Camaraderie was at an all-time high throughout the night, as athletes cheered each other to the buzzer, played rock-paper-scissors before races, and snagged new records. Notably, Emma Hunt broke her own Women’s Speed Pan American Record (6.67 seconds), setting a new Women’s Speed American Record of 6.54 seconds. Meanwhile, Zach Hammer set a new personal record of 5.12 seconds during the Qualification Round, making him the second-fastest American Speed Climber. Even though Emma Hunt and Piper Kelly were pre-selected for the National Team because of their Olympic Qualification, the two still joined their fellow athletes for Qualification and an Olympic Format Exhibition that followed the Finals Round. The four fastest women and men entered Semi-Finals as an energetic crowd grew around the 15-meter speed wall. The women’s “small final” boiled down to Micaela Patajo against Liberty Runnels, with Runnels finishing roughly half of a second ahead of Patajo, earning Runnels the 3rd place finish. The “big final” boiled down to Sophia Curcio against Kaitlyn Bone, with Curcio finishing in 7.33 seconds and Bone finishing in 8.16 seconds, earning them the 1st and 2nd place finishes respectively. Curcio and Bone both earned enough National Team Ranking points to join the 2024 Speed National Team. The men’s “small final” boiled down to Zachary Hammer against Thomas Lin, which kicked off with a false start, earning Lin the 3rd place finish. The “big final” boiled down to Noah Bratschi against Richard Li. Both had an efficient run, with Bratschi finishing in 5.29 seconds and Li finishing in 5.41 seconds, earning them the 1st and 2nd place finishes respectively. Bratschi and Hammer both earned enough National Team Ranking points to join the 2024 Speed National Team. Women’s Speed Podium: Sophia Curcio Kaitlyn Bone Liberty Runnels Photo by Dan Gajda. “I feel pretty psyched,” said Curcio, who looked calm as ever after her win. “I especially want to thank my parents and all my coaches.” Men’s Speed Podium: Noah Bratschi Richard Li Thomas Lin Photo by Dan Gajda. “I was just trying to feel the flow and get a good run,” said Bratschi, who had his mind on a celebration dessert coming out of Finals. 2024 Speed National Team: Emma Hunt Piper Kelly Sophia Curcio Kaitlyn Bone Sam Watson John Brosler Zachary Hammer Noah Bratschi The Speed Finals Round is currently streaming on Outside Watch. Photo highlights from the Speed Finals Round can be found here (photos by Dan Gajda, not available for commercial use).