Emma Hunt Finishes Second In Women’s Speed Climbing Qualifiers
Aug 5, 2024, 6:06 AM
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 05: Zhou Yafei of Team People’s Republic of China looks dejected as Piper Kelly of Team United States celebrates during the Women's Speed Climbing - Seeding Heats on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
PARIS, France – Poland’s Alexsandra Miroslaw stole the show in the women’s speed climbing qualifying round, setting two world records before the elimination round.
The Paris 2024 Olympics women’s sport climbing speed qualifiers were held on Monday, August 5.
RELATED: Keep up the Olympic medal count here.
Something remarkable is happening in the women's speed climbing heats.
Aleksandra Miroslaw saw her Olympic record broken TWICE before she took to the wall.
So she's gone and broken her own world record TWICE in response.
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— Standard Sport (@standardsport) August 5, 2024
First Heat
Kelly climbed to the top of the leaderboard with a time of 7.39 seconds on Lane B. She fell to the second spot when China’s Yafei Zhou scaled Lane A in an Olympic record of 6.54 seconds.
Emma Hunt stepped to Lane B next and flew up the wall. Hunt became the third consecutive competitor to beat the Olympic record, touching the top at 6.36 seconds. Incredibly, the world record would fall minutes later.
Alexsandra Miroslaw scaled Lane B in 6.21 seconds, setting a new world’s best mark. Aleksandra held the top spot after one heat.
Second Heat
Kelly needed 7.47 seconds to touch the top square in her second heat. She sat in ninth place with most of the field left to climb.
An early slip cost Hunt in her second heat. She finished in 6.79 seconds but remained in second place overall.
After setting a new world record on her first run, Miroslaw bettered that mark with a 6.06 second time.
About Emma Hunt & Piper Kelly
Emma Hunt, a 21-year-old climber out of Woodstock, Georgia, won a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships in speed climbing. She also participated in the 2023 Pan American Games and each World Cup competition since 2021.
Hunt currently attends Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
RELATED: Team USA Fails To Advance In Men’s Sport Climbing Competition
Piper Kelly is an up-and-coming star in the women’s climbing world after graduating from Xavier University in 2023. Kelly competed in the 2018 and 2023 World Championships, finishing 26th in 2023. The Indianapolis, Indiana, native qualified for the 2024 Paris Games by edging out Hunt.
Hunt enjoys working with young athletes and hopes to stay involved with athletics through coaching.
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