World Climbing Series Kraków

The speed-only event in the UNESCO heritage setting of Kraków's Main Square carried three medal events and three storylines: the last World Climbing Series appearance of Aleksandra Miroslaw, Poland's Olympic champion and the greatest female speed athlete of all time; the women's world record and the first sub-six; and Watson and Zhao Yicheng赵一程Zhào Yīchéng neck-and-neck at the ceiling of men's speed.

Qualification raised a question about the American. Watson ran two times above five seconds and a best of 4.90, good enough only for ninth. Zhao was moderate too, taking fourth.

On the Fourth of July, competing on the 250th anniversary of the country she represents, Emma Hunt did not disappoint. She ran 5.99 and became the first woman ever to climb the 15m wall in under six seconds. In one of the sport's crueller symmetries she finished third in the final, behind Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi and Natalia Kalucka.

Watson ran the first round twice after a false start and advanced anyway. He and Zhao were drawn together in the third round, where the four-lane format meant two advance and the pairing carried no elimination stake, though nobody watching believed that lowered the temperature. Watson took his first head-to-head win over Zhao in 4.69, well below anything he had run all week.

The big final put Madrid champion Chu Shouhong储守宏Chǔ Shǒuhóng and Indonesian record holder Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi alongside the two series leaders. Zhao ran 4.699. Watson answered with 4.60, a personal record and a Pan-American record, off a reaction time of 0.21 that leaves a sub-4.5 plainly available. Zhao's 4.54 in Wujiang came off a 0.174 reaction. The absolute ceiling of the two fastest climbers alive is separated by about two hundredths of a second.

The Americans dominated the mixed relay again, Watson and Hunt going under eleven seconds for a 10.89 world record. Hunt joins Zhao and Watson in the small club of climbers holding more than one world record at the same time.