What Is Sport Climbing? Breaks Record

American Breaks Record In Controversial (And Relatively New) Olympic Event.

As of Tuesday, an 18-ye

As of Tuesday, an 18-year-old from Texas can lay claim to being the fastest-ever Olympian – at least when it comes to traveling vertically.

When Sam Watson set a speed climbing world record of 4.75 seconds in the Parisian suburbs, where a temporary climbing wall has been installed for the Olympics, he became the owner of a unique sporting accolade.

“I suppose 4.75, the fastest time ever run in the Olympics in a timed sport,” said Watson. “That’s a cool title, no one can take that away I suppose.”

For those spectating at a speed climbing event, a moment’s distraction can prove costly. Athletes scale a 15-meter wall in around five seconds, scampering up a series of holds towards a red buzzer at the top of the route.

Lightning reactions and fast-twitch muscle fibers are a necessity in this event, while the slip of a foot or a momentary lapse of concentration can result in an athlete’s elimination from the competition.

Watson set the previous speed climbing world record of 4.79 seconds at a World Cup event in China earlier this year, before Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo matched that time in Tuesday’s heats. The next round, Watson went quicker once again.

This sport is not solely about going as fast as you can, but also about beating your opponent in a head-to-head race. Even a slow time can gain a spot in the next round if it means slapping the red buzzer at the top of the wall ahead of the adjacent person.

“I want to win these races and I want to get to the top of the podium,” said Watson. “But I did go a lot faster in practice and I did have the idea that it was possible [to get a world record].

“I told myself, if I bring the athlete that I have become to the Olympic Games, it is very possible I can break a world record on this stage in front of this crowd, and it definitely was a really cool life experience.”