American Climbers Gearing Up for Next Stop of IFSC World Cup Season

Athletes at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Wujiang 2025 put on a spectacular show. The world saw two lead climbers, Erin McNeice and Seo Chaehyun, share gold, and Sorato Anraku secured his gold medal in the lead discipline. The speed events were just as compelling as it was considered to be the fastest speed climbing competition in history. Taking first place in the speed finals were Zhang Shaoqin and Long Jianguo.

For the upcoming World Cup in Bali from May 2-4, athletes will be turning up the heat to earn a spot on the podium. Among those hoping to make a strong comeback is American speed climber Sam Watson. He aimed to take home gold in Wujiang and potentially beat his world record of 4.74 seconds, which was set at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Watson didn't perform as well as he had hoped this time, but there's still plenty of time in the season for things to change.

"Not the greatest performance, below expectations on either getting a new WR or a podium," he wrote on Instagram. "Congrats to everyone and stay focused for Bali next week. It will happen!"

U.S. Climbers Prepared for IFSC Sport Climbing World Cup in Bali