Americans Hunt and Watson win inaugural mixed relay at Speed Climbing World Cup, set new record

The American duo of Emma Hunt and Samuel Watson secured victory in the inaugural mixed relay event at the Speed Climbing World Cup held in Krakow, Poland. Their triumph also saw them set a new world record for the discipline.

Hunt and Watson clocked an impressive time of 10.89 seconds in the final, surpassing the previous record. They defeated the Indonesian pair of Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi and Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi. The bronze medal went to China's Yicheng Zhao, the 17-year-old world record holder, and Yafei Zhou.

This mixed relay event marked its debut in the World Cup series, featuring 32 teams from twenty countries. The American pair's performance built on their strong showing in the qualifying rounds, where they achieved times of 11.22 seconds and 11.00 seconds in the semifinals. The competition, taking place in Krakow's Main Market Square, will conclude with men's and women's relay events.

Adding to the excitement, Emma Hunt also made history in the individual speed climbing competition, breaking the women's world record with a time of 5.99 seconds. She is now the first woman to climb the 15-meter wall in under six seconds. Samuel Watson also claimed victory in the men's individual race, marking a highly successful event for the American climbing team. The Krakow World Cup is notable for being the first in the series to utilize four lanes on the speed climbing wall.