Samuel Watson
United StatesParis 2024 bronze medalist, former world-record holder, and the American man chasing Zhao back to the top.
Sam Watson set his first two world records at Wujiang in April 2024, then broke through at Paris 2024 with an Olympic bronze medal and two more, taking the men’s mark to 4.74 and announcing the United States as a genuine speed power. He lowered it twice again at Bali in May 2025, down to 4.64, and held it until Zhao Yicheng赵一程Zhào Yīchéng took it in April 2026.
Watson is the athlete whose own footage powers much of this site. He remains Zhao’s most credible rival, a relentless competitor pushing to reclaim the record, and one half of the USA pair that set the inaugural Speed Mixed Relay world record of 10.89 in Kraków alongside Emma Hunt.
- Bronze, Paris 2024 Olympic Games (speed)
- Former men’s 15m world record holder, 4.64 (Bali 2025)
- Six world records between 2024 and 2025, from 4.86 down to 4.64
- Co-holder, inaugural Speed Mixed Relay world record, 10.89 (with Emma Hunt)
Profile compiled from public sources, July 2026.
Counts above are world-level results only. The table below also lists 6 continental, youth and invitational results (Other, Madrid 4 Speed, Continental Games, Youth World Championship), for 39 in total.
Competition history & rankings 39
| Competition | Location | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Climbing Series | Chamonix | 2026 | 6 |
| World Climbing Series | Krakow | 2026 | 1 |
| World Climbing Series men relay | Krakow | 2026 | 2 |
| World Climbing Series mixed relay | Krakow | 2026 | 1 |
| World Climbing Series | Wujiang | 2026 | 3 |
| World Championship | Seoul | 2025 | 5 |
| World Cup | Guiyang | 2025 | 11 |
| World Games relay | Chengdu | 2025 | 3 |
| World Games | Chengdu | 2025 | 2 |
| World Cup | Chamonix | 2025 | 1 |
| World Cup | Krakow | 2025 | 62 |
| World Cup | Denver | 2025 | 3 |
| World Cup | Bali | 2025 | 1 |
| World Cup | Wujiang | 2025 | 4 |
| NEOM IFSC Masters | Neom | 2024 | 6 |
| Madrid 4 Speed | Madrid | 2024 | 30 |
| World Cup | Seoul | 2024 | 9 |
| Olympic Games | Paris | 2024 | 3 |
| World Cup | Chamonix | 2024 | 1 |
| World Cup | Salt Lake City | 2024 | 1 |
| World Cup | Wujiang | 2024 | 2 |
| NEOM IFSC Masters | Neom | 2023 | 9 |
| Continental Games | Santiago | 2023 | 1 |
| World Cup | Wujiang | 2023 | 7 |
| World Championship | Bern | 2023 | 71 |
| World Cup | Chamonix | 2023 | 10 |
| World Cup | Villars-sur-Ollon | 2023 | 4 |
| World Cup | Salt Lake City | 2023 | 4 |
| World Cup | Indonesia | 2023 | 6 |
| World Cup | Seoul | 2023 | 9 |
| World Cup | Jakarta | 2022 | 7 |
| World Cup | Edinburgh | 2022 | 1 |
| Youth World Championship | United States | 2022 | 3 |
| World Cup | Chamonix | 2022 | 58 |
| World Cup | Villars-sur-Ollon | 2022 | 16 |
| World Cup May 30 | Salt Lake City | 2022 | 8 |
| World Cup May 23 | Salt Lake City | 2022 | 8 |
| World Cup | Seoul | 2022 | 16 |
| Youth World Championship | Voronezh | 2021 | 2 |
Results compiled from ifsc.results.info.