Samuel Watson
United StatesParis 2024 bronze medalist, former world-record holder, and the American man chasing Zhao back to the top.
Sam Watson broke through at Paris 2024 with an Olympic bronze medal and a pair of world records, lowering the men's mark to 4.64s and announcing the United States as a genuine speed power. He held that record into 2026 before Zhao Yicheng took it in April.
Watson is the athlete whose own footage powers much of this site. He remains Zhao's most credible rival, a relentless competitor pushing to reclaim the record, and one half of the USA pair that set the inaugural Speed Mixed Relay world record of 10.89s in Kraków alongside Emma Hunt.
- Bronze, Paris 2024 Olympic Games (speed)
- Former men's 15m world record holder, 4.64s (2025)
- Two world records set in 2024
- Co-holder, inaugural Speed Mixed Relay world record, 10.89s (with Emma Hunt)
Profile compiled from public sources, July 2026. Photo used with permission.
Competition history & rankings 39
| Competition | Location | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup | Chamonix | 2026 | 6 |
| World Cup | Krakow | 2026 | 1 |
| World Cup | Wujiang | 2026 | 3 |
| World Championship | Seoul | 2025 | 5 |
| World Cup | Guiyang | 2025 | 11 |
| World Cup | Chamonix | 2025 | 1 |
| World Cup | Krakow | 2025 | 62 |
| World Cup | Denver | 2025 | 3 |
| World Cup | Bali | 2025 | 1 |
| World Cup | Wujiang | 2025 | 4 |
| Other | Neom | 2024 | 6 |
| Madrid 4 Speed | Madrid | 2024 | 30 |
| World Cup | Seoul | 2024 | 9 |
| Olympic Games | Paris | 2024 | 3 |
| World Cup | Chamonix | 2024 | 1 |
| World Cup | Salt Lake CIty | 2024 | 1 |
| World Cup | Wujiang | 2024 | 2 |
| Other | Neom Beach Games Mountain Village | 2023 | 9 |
| Continental Games | Santiago | 2023 | 1 |
| World Cup | Wujiang | 2023 | 7 |
| World Championship | Bern | 2023 | 71 |
| World Cup | Chamonix | 2023 | 10 |
| World Cup | Villars-sur-Ollon | 2023 | 4 |
| World Cup | Salt Lake City | 2023 | 4 |
| World Cup | Indonesia | 2023 | 6 |
| World Cup | Seoul | 2023 | 9 |
| World Cup | Jakarta | 2022 | 7 |
| World Cup | Edinburgh | 2022 | 1 |
| Youth World Championship | United States | 2022 | 3 |
| World Cup | Chamonix | 2022 | 58 |
| World Cup | Villars-sur-Ollon | 2022 | 16 |
| World Cup | Salt Lake City | 2022 | 8 |
| World Cup | Salt Lake City | 2022 | 8 |
| World Cup | Seoul | 2022 | 16 |
| Youth World Championship | Voronezh | 2021 | 2 |
| World Games | Chengdu | 2025 | 2 |
| World Games | Chengdu | 2025 | 3 |
| World Cup | Krakow | 2026 | 2 |
| World Cup | Krakow | 2026 | 1 |
Results compiled from ifsc.results.info.