Speed Climbers to Watch in 2026

We are living through the fastest era speed climbing has ever seen. The world records that felt untouchable a couple of years ago are falling like dominoes, sub-five and sub-six second runs are becoming the price of admission at the top, and a teenager is now rewriting the men's record almost at will. If you have ever wondered what the ceiling of human speed on a wall looks like, 2026 is the year to find out.

Who are the best speed climbers right now?

The short answer: a mix of record-shattering newcomers, battle-tested Olympic champions, and a few veterans taking one last shot at glory. Below are the men and women lighting up the events & scoreboards this season, why each one is worth watching, and who to keep an eye on at the next races. If you are new to the sport, it helps to first understand what speed climbing is: the same standardized 15-meter wall, everywhere on Earth, so every time these athletes post is directly comparable.

The men to watch

Zhao Yicheng (China)

Zhao is the runaway favorite and the defining story of the season. He holds the men's world record at 4.54 seconds and broke the record not once but twice in 2026, and he only turned 17 in June. Watching a climber this young rewrite the ceiling of the sport in real time is the kind of thing you get to see maybe once a generation. When Zhao is in the start blocks, you are watching history get faster.

Sam Watson (USA)

Sam Watson is the top American in the sport and one of its most compelling figures. He took Olympic bronze at Paris 2024, is a former world record holder at 4.64, and was half of the record-setting mixed relay. He is also a co-founder of this very site, which means the fastest man in American speed climbing is directly invested in helping the next wave get faster. Every time he races, he is carrying US speed toward LA28.

Veddriq Leonardo (Indonesia)

If anyone can spoil Zhao's party on a given day, it is Veddriq Leonardo. He is the reigning Paris 2024 Olympic speed champion and a former world record holder, which means he has already stood on top of both the podium and the record books. On his day, Veddriq can beat anyone in the world, and that unpredictability is exactly what makes his runs must-watch.

Kiromal Katibin (Indonesia)

Kiromal Katibin was once a serial record-breaker, trading the world record back and forth during one of the sport's fastest-evolving stretches. He remains among the quickest qualifiers on the circuit, and a climber with that kind of raw speed is always one clean run away from the podium. Never count Katibin out of a bracket.

Long Jianguo (China)

Long Jianguo is China's rising man and took silver behind Zhao at Wujiang. With Zhao setting the pace, Long is the climber pushing hardest right behind him, and that internal Chinese rivalry could shape the entire men's field this season. He is the name to know if you want to see who challenges Zhao next.

Want to follow every one of these runs as it happens, not weeks later? Join the community and we will track the season together, result by result.

The women to watch

Emma Hunt (USA)

Emma Hunt made history in 2026 by becoming the first woman ever to break six seconds, setting the women's world record at 5.99. She is the standard-bearer for American speed climbing heading into a home Olympics at LA28, and every time she steps up she is chasing a barrier no woman had touched before her. Hunt is appointment viewing for anyone who wants to see the women's ceiling rise.

Aleksandra Miroslaw (Poland)

This is a farewell season, so savor it. Aleksandra Miroslaw is the Paris 2024 Olympic champion and a former world record holder at 6.03, and she has announced she is retiring at the end of 2026. Few athletes have dominated a discipline the way Miroslaw has, and watching one of the all-time greats take her final laps around the circuit is a privilege. Do not miss her last runs.

Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi (Indonesia)

Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi is peaking at exactly the right moment. She won the Krakow 2026 final in 6.54, is the 2025 World Games champion, and crucially beat Emma Hunt for gold, proving she can take down the record holder when it counts. When Hunt and Dewi share a bracket, you are watching one of the best rivalries in the women's game.

Deng Lijuan (China)

Deng Lijuan claimed Olympic silver at Paris 2024, putting her firmly among the elite. China's depth in the women's field is remarkable, and Deng is right at the front of it. Any final she reaches, she reaches as a genuine medal threat.

Zhou Yafei (China)

Zhou Yafei took speed gold at the 2026 Asian Beach Games, adding another name to China's already deep roster of contenders. She is the kind of climber who reminds you the podium is never settled, and her rise this season makes the women's field deeper and harder to predict than ever.

Who to watch at the next events

The beauty of speed climbing is that every result is a number you can compare instantly. Zhao's 4.54 and Hunt's 5.99 are the marks everyone else is measured against, so as the season rolls on, watch for who edges closest to them. The men's story is Zhao versus the field, with Long Jianguo, Veddriq, and Sam Watson all hunting him down. The women's story is Hunt versus Dewi at the front, Miroslaw's emotional farewell, and China's Deng and Zhou making every final a scramble.

If you want to understand how these athletes move so fast, dig into the beta, the published sequence of holds they all share, and you will start to see the tiny margins that separate a 4.9 from a 4.5.

The season finale lands in Santiago, Chile, in October 2026, and from there the road leads straight to the LA28 Olympics, where several of these names will chase home-soil and career-defining medals. It is the best possible time to start paying attention.

Follow the whole season with us. The LearnSpeedClimbing Skool community is where fans and climbers track every result, break down every record run, and follow these athletes together from now through Santiago and on to LA28. Come join us, pick your favorites, and let's watch the fastest era in the sport's history unfold, one race at a time. You can follow every result on our events page.