Indonesia dominates men's Speed qualification, Hunt leads women's field
Robby Al Hilmi and Nursamsa secured the top two positions in the men’s round, while New Zealand’s Helen Lee also celebrated a career milestone, qualifying for her first-ever final
Speed brought the opening day of the World Climbing Series Santiago 2026 to a close, with Indonesia making a strong statement in the men’s qualification and the USA leading the way in the women’s event.
Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi topped the men’s standings in 4.92 seconds, narrowly edging compatriot Raharjati Nursamsa, who clocked 4.93.
In the women’s competition, USA’s Emma Hunt finished well clear of the field with a time of 6.41 seconds, ahead of Indonesia’s Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi in 6.61.
The qualification round also brought a breakthrough for New Zealand’s Helen Lee, who set a new Oceania record and secured her first-ever place in a 16-athlete final.
INDONESIA SETS THE PACE
Indonesia claimed three of the top four positions in the men’s qualification, with Aditya Tri Syahria finishing fourth in 4.96 seconds. Olympic champion Veddriq Leonardo also advanced, placing 10th in 5.07, while world record holder Zhao Yicheng of China finished 12th in 5.09.
Team USA also enjoyed a strong showing, qualifying four climbers for Saturday’s final. Michael Hom led the US contingent in fifth place with 4.97 seconds, followed by six-time gold medallist Samuel Watson in eighth with 5.03.
Another American to watch is Taede Mai, who finished ninth in 5.06 seconds and secured his second final appearance of the season in just his third-ever World Climbing Series start.
“It felt pretty good. My first one was a little sloppy, but my second race was good,” Mai said. “The wall felt a bit slow. There weren’t many sub-five races, but I don’t actually mind the slow wall as much.”
Looking ahead to the final, Mai has a clear target: breaking the five-second barrier.
“Hopefully with my first race, but all I’m looking for, really, is to run a sub-five time, because it’ll be my first one officially.”
HUNT LEADS THE WOMEN’S FIELD
In the women’s qualification, Emma Hunt delivered the fastest performance of the round, stopping the clock at 6.41 seconds. Indonesia’s Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi followed in second place with 6.61, setting up an intriguing battle for the medals.
However, one of the most significant stories of the round belonged to New Zealand’s Helen Lee. Her time of 7.35 seconds established a new Oceania record and, more importantly, earned her a place in the final for the first time in her career.
“I’m feeling so shocked, relieved, everything,” Lee said. “It’s actually only my second World Climbing event with a top-16 final, so I didn’t expect to make it through at all, and I only just skimmed my way in. So I’m really excited to fight tomorrow. I will try to get a good run and see how it goes.”
Lee was pleased with the wall conditions, although she suggested that the wind might have affected some athletes’ performances.
“I don’t find any issue with the wall. Maybe it’s not the most grippy, like a texture, but it was okay. Maybe it was just the wind putting people off.”
The New Zealander had arrived in Santiago hoping to improve on her previous best, having clocked faster times in training in the weeks leading up to the competition.
“I did expect to get a record here, because I’d gone faster in training and I trained pretty hard the last few weeks. So I did expect to beat my time. I don’t know by how much.”
A FINAL RACE TO REMEMBER FOR TETZLAFF
The opening day also marked an emotional milestone for New Zealand Speed Climbing, as Paris 2024 Olympian Sarah Tetzlaff competed in what she recently announced would be her final race before retiring from competition.
Lee paid tribute to her teammate, highlighting the role Tetzlaff has played in her own development and in establishing the foundations of Speed climbing in New Zealand.
“I’m so inspired by her. And even me being here today is because of her. She helped, she consoled me in my first competition that went very poorly, and she encouraged me to keep going. She’s the reason why we were all here today. So she’s made so much progress in the sport.”
NEXT UP
Day two at the World Climbing Series Santiago 2026 will kick off at 9:00 (UTC-3:00) with men's Lead qualification, while the Speed Series 2026 will come to a close with one final round starting at 18:00.
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.
