Women Smash Speed Climbing Records at Paris Olympics

The women’s speed climbing event kicked off today at the Paris Olympics. The 14 athletes first sprinted in qualification seeding heats, followed by races in qualification elimination heats. The seeding round was an exciting one with multiple Olympic, continental, and World records being broken.

The seeding round started with China’s Zhou Yafei breaking the previous Olympic record with a time of 6.54 seconds. Then Desak Dewi of Indonesia brought the record lower to 6.52. Team USA member Emma Hunt then climbed a time of 6.36. The finish was an Olympic record and a Pan American record, as well as a personal best for Hunt.

Aleksandra Miroslaw then shaved even more time off the Olympic record, blasting up the speed route in 6.21 seconds – a new women’s speed climbing world record. Miroslaw held the previous world record of 6.24, which she achieved at European Olympic Qualifier in September 2023.

Miroslaw wasn’t finished though. In her next attempt at the Paris speed route she achieved a time of 6.06 seconds – yet again, a new world record. The women’s speed climbing quarter-final, semi-final, and final is being held on Wednesday August 7. Will we see more records broken?