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Speed climbing in St. Wendel: Local talent inspires 10,000 fans!
Premiere of “Speed Climbing in the City” in St. Wendel: 10,000 spectators experienced exciting competitions and new records.
Speed climbing in St. Wendel: Local talent inspires 10,000 fans!
On July 1, 2025, the premiere of the “Speed Climbing in the City” competition took place at St. Wendeler Schlossplatz, offering impressive competitions with high speed and precision. A total of 22 men and 18 women took part in the qualification, making for an exciting event that attracted around 10,000 spectators. Among the athletes were the Saarland talents Kim Lambert from Illingen and Mika Scherer from Saarbrücken, both of whom qualified for the knockout round. Lambert achieved a time of 12.15 seconds, but was eliminated by Beatrice Colli, while Scherer improved his time to a remarkable 5.95 seconds, but was eliminated by Yaroslaw Tkach.
Both Saarlanders ultimately took 14th place. The field was strong and the atmosphere was electric as the athletes competed. Spectacular duels characterized the event and hardly anyone was spared the thrill. Co-favorites Colli and Piper Kelly both had to leave the tournament early due to a foot error.
The exciting course of the competitions
Another highlight was the semi-final between Ludovico Fossali from Italy and Leander Carmanns from Germany. Here, barely milliseconds decided between victory and defeat - Fossali secured first place with a time of 5.139 seconds, while Carmanns was very close with 5.140 seconds. The latter also set a new German record: in the run for third place he only needed 4.96 seconds! Julia Koch from Cologne finished the female competition in an excellent second place behind Polina Khalkevych from Ukraine, while Oskar Ludwig from Saarbrücken took third place in the U15 competition.
Speed climbing, a sport climbing discipline, has developed enormously in recent years. Athletes must be able to complete a 15 meter long route with an overhang of 5 degrees in as short a time as possible. Important skills include speed, maximum strength and precise gripping and kicking techniques. The routes are standardized, which enables world record times. Since the 2005 World Cup, these standards have also been adhered to, which further professionalized the competition. Speed climbing was held at the Olympic Games in Tokyo for the first time in 2020 and will take place as an independent discipline in Paris in 2024.
A look at the 2024 Olympic Games
The Paris Olympics promise big climbing with sell-out ranks, with the International Olympic Committee set to award two sets of medals per gender - with separate medals for speed climbing as well as bouldering and lead. The event is seen as a milestone for the sport, and the community is already discussing a possible separation of medal sets in future competitions, including the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
As the climbing community pulls together and focuses on diversity and inclusion, enthusiasm for this dynamic sport remains undiminished. Speed climbing has not only grown in popularity and international reputation, but important conversations are also taking place about sustainability and the sustainable use of climbing facilities. The climbing facility in Le Bourget will remain open to the public after the Games and climbing material will be distributed internationally.
The premiere of the competition in St. Wendel not only shows the high level of national climbing, but also the broad interest of the spectators. The next few months will remain exciting for climbing athletes and fans, especially with the Olympic Games just around the corner.