Current Olympic records
World Climbing lists Samuel Watson's 4.75 seconds from August 6, 2024 as the men's Olympic record and Aleksandra Mirosław's 6.06 seconds from August 5, 2024 as the women's Olympic record.
| Category | Time | Athlete | Games | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 4.75 | Samuel Watson (USA) | Paris 2024 | August 6, 2024 |
| Women | 6.06 | Aleksandra Mirosław (POL) | Paris 2024 | August 5, 2024 |
Olympic record versus world record
An Olympic record is the fastest recognized performance within Olympic competition under the governing record rules. A world record can be set at another eligible sanctioned event. That is why the current men's world record of 4.54 and women's world record of 5.99 are faster than the Paris Olympic records.
Why Paris was historically important
Paris 2024 was the first Olympic Games with standalone Speed medals. Mirosław set 6.21 and then 6.06 during qualification; Watson also lowered the men's world record during the Games. Olympic record history therefore developed rapidly inside one competition.
What happens at LA28?
Los Angeles 2028 is scheduled to include Speed as a standalone climbing discipline again. Existing Olympic records can be challenged there, but a future athlete would need an eligible Olympic performance—not simply a faster time elsewhere—to change the Olympic category.
Records & performance data
Current Speed Climbing World Records
Current men's and women's speed climbing world records, with athlete, event, location, date and verification status.
Open reference →Men's Speed Climbing World Record Progression
Key milestones in the men's speed climbing world record progression, from the five-second barrier to Zhao Yicheng's 4.54-second record.
Open reference →Women's Speed Climbing World Record Progression
Key milestones in the women's speed climbing world record progression, including Aleksandra Mirosław's record era and Emma Hunt's first sub-six run.
Open reference →Speed Climbing Continental Records
Current African, Asian, European, Oceania and Pan American speed climbing records for men and women, verified August 19, 2026.
Open reference →Speed Climbing Relay Records
Current men's, women's and mixed speed relay world records and why relay records are a new part of the sport's performance data.
Open reference →Speed Climbing Record Milestones
Major speed climbing performance milestones: sub-five men, sub-six women, Olympic breakthroughs and emerging relay barriers.
Open reference →Personal Best vs Official Speed Climbing Record
The difference between a speed climbing personal best, training time, event result, continental record, Olympic record and world record.
Open reference →SpeedClimbing.com Records Methodology & Source Policy
How SpeedClimbing.com verifies current records, handles historical progression, dates updates and separates official data from secondary reporting.
Open reference →Primary record sources
- World Climbing — Men's Speed Records
- World Climbing — Women's Speed Records
- World Climbing — Mixed Team Speed Relay Records
- World Climbing — Speed discipline overview
Current-record pages are date-sensitive. Figures on SpeedClimbing.com were verified against World Climbing on August 19, 2026. Governing-body data supersedes this site if a record changes after that date.