The World Climbing Series Kraków 2026 opened with the first-ever Speed qualification rounds contested on a four-lane wall in World Climbing history. Michael Hom of the USA and fellow American Emma Hunt topped the men’s and women’s standings respectively, as athletes adapted to the new format ahead of tomorrow’s expanded finals.

HOM LEADS HISTORIC MEN’S QUALIFICATION

Hom clocked 4.804 seconds to edge Japan’s Omasa Ryo by just 0.002, with the Japanese climber finishing second in 4.806. World record holder Zhao Yicheng of China completed the top three in 4.81.

Olympic bronze medallist Samuel Watson of the USA safely progressed in seventh place with 4.90, while reigning Speed world champion Long Jianguo of China also dipped below the five-second barrier, qualifying ninth in 4.92.

The expanded format saw each athlete race four times, with all runs counting towards the qualification ranking. It also increased the size of the final bracket, with the top 32 climbers advancing to tomorrow’s final.

Fifteen nations will be represented in tomorrow’s men’s final, including New Zealand thanks to Julian David, who set a new Oceania record of 5.16 seconds. Italy’s Luca Robbiati claimed the final qualifying place in 32nd with 5.283 seconds, establishing the first cut time under the new format.

For the men’s Speed qualification complete results click here.

HUNT CLOCKS LIFETIME BEST

US climber Emma Hunt led the women’s qualification with a personal best of 6.05 seconds, finishing just 0.02 away from Aleksandra Mirosław’s world record and moving into sole possession of the second-fastest time ever recorded.

World record holder Mirosław delighted the home crowd by qualifying second in 6.14, while Spain’s Leslie Adriana Romero Pérez produced another outstanding performance, setting a personal best of 6.26 for third place.

Aleksandra Kałucka of Poland finished fourth in 6.38 ahead of Indonesia’s Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi in fifth with 6.41.

Fresh from her maiden World Climbing Series podium in Alcobendas, Spain, Ukraine’s Polina Khalkevych continued her impressive form by qualifying seventh in 6.50.

Austria’s Johanna Nagel secured the final place in the 32-athlete bracket with 7.37 seconds, as 12 nations advanced to tomorrow’s women’s final.

For the women’s Speed qualification complete results click here.

ATHLETES EMBRACE NEW FORMAT

Julian David welcomed the introduction of the four-lane wall after setting a new Oceania record.

“It’s a bit bizarre having that many people on the wall at once,” he said. “I’ve only done it once before, but after the qualification round now, I’m pretty content with it. I liked my second and fourth runs the most, but the fact that the very first run is counting is still cool for me because before it didn’t. I’ve had World Cups where I’ve had really good practice and then not-so-good qualifications, so now that all of them count, that’s awesome.”

The New Zealander also praised the opportunities created by the new format: “I love it. I also love the idea that we can now run relays. In future Olympics we could have multiple formats now, so you’re not just travelling halfway across the world to an event for five seconds. I get more competition time and I think it’s just great for the sport.”

David also enjoys competing in Europe, where he feels he can focus entirely on Climbing: “I love when I go overseas. There’s this thing we call ‘taking the backpack off’... you leave all your stress and worries at home. Every time I come to Europe, I just go so fast, I love it.”

The Paris 2024 Olympian finally credited a change in mindset, rather than workload, for his recent improvements: “I feel like the training has been the same, but the intent has changed. Rob and my trainer Kez put their heads together and came up with a slightly different training programme. The amount of work that we’re doing is the same, but the intent has changed. I’m finally getting personal bests again, which is sick. I’m looking forward to what I can do tomorrow, and in the relays.”

Ukraine’s Khalkevych also appreciated the revised qualification system: “My qualification round was not bad, but I think I can do better than that. Hopefully in the final. That wasn’t my best. Having no practice and four attempts to do a faster time in qualification is really good.

“The medal in Alcobendas hasn’t changed the way I approach competitions. I try not to think too much about what happened in the past. I still focus on my training and on the present,” she said.

NEXT UP

The World Climbing Series Kraków 2026 continues tomorrow with the Speed finals, starting at 12:00 (UTC+2:00), before the Speed Mixed Relay finals bring day two to a close from 16:00.

News and updates about all World Climbing events will be available on the World Climbing website, and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.