American Speed Climber Dominates Denver's IFSC World Cup Qualification

Saturday marked the beginning of the third Speed World Cup stop this season. The first two events were held in Wujiang and Bali, but the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) made a stop in Denver, Colorado, where the city is now hosting its first Speed World Cup event.

The competition kicked off with qualification rounds for the men and women—the finals are scheduled for Sunday. Uncertainty loomed as athletes battled it out on the wall, but one athlete in particular stood out strongly early on.

Emma Hunt, 22, of the U.S. quickly took the lead ahead of the women after landing times of 6.715 and 6.363 seconds. During the Wujiang World Cup, Hunt was unable to secure a podium finish after Lijuan Deng of China left her defeated. She was close, but her performance just wasn't enough to come out on top.

American Climber Takes First in Qualification Round at IFSC World Cup

Hunt has not found much success this past year, but Denver could turn into a remarkable comeback story for the young athlete. However, she will need to kick it into high gear as the competition is only going to intensify.

Finishing in second in Denver was Natalia Kalucka of Poland, followed by a long streak of impressive Chinese athletes, who covered the board, until fellow American Piper Kelly landed in eighth place. As seen in the past, the final results can be drastically different from what the qualifications showed. Hunt is showing endless promise right now as she chases after gold, but things could rapidly turn around.