USA Climbing is excited to announce that three high performance athletes – Emma Hunt (Paris 2024 Olympian), Kyra Condie (Tokyo 2020 Olympian), Sophie Curcio (National Team athlete) and Nekaia Sanders (National Development Team athlete) – will travel to Raleigh to climb with fans, youth competitors and other members of the public this month.
Triangle Rock Club Salvage Yard, North Carolina’s largest climbing gym, will host the event on Friday, October 24 from 4–5:30pm, ahead of USA Climbing’s board meeting the same weekend. That meeting is hosted in part by another local establishment, Ponysaurus Brewing Co.
The event is free for Triangle Rock Club members or included with the purchase of a day pass. Fans are encouraged to bring climbing shoes and any items that they would like autographed. Athletes will also meet with Triangle Rock Club’s youth competitors to share their experience and answer their youngest fans’ questions about life as an international competitor. Additional info can be found on USA Climbing’s Eventbrite.
“I’m stoked to climb with the Triangle Rock Club team soon,” said Emma Hunt, who is a Georgia native. “Having competed in the Deep South, I had a lot of friends on the Triangle Rock Club team growing up, so I know how strong they are! I’m looking forward to it!”
Meet Emma Hunt, Paris 2024 Olympian:
Emma Hunt is the most decorated female speed climber in the country. Hunt currently holds the National and Pan American Women’s Speed record, having climbed the standard 15-meter wall in just 6.25 seconds. She represented Team USA at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (the speed discipline’s debut as a medal event) and has competed in more than 20 international World Cups. Just last month, she won her 10th World Cup medal in Guiyang, China – more than any other US Speed athlete – and became the first US female climber to win the IFSC Speed World Cup series title. Emma Hunt and Sophie Curcio also recently set the National and Pan American Women’s Speed record in the newly sanctioned relay format, in which their combined time was just 14.52 seconds.
Meet Kyra Condie, Tokyo 2020 Olympian:
Kyra Condie is one of the most recognizable figures in American climbing. Condie represented Team USA at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the sport’s Olympic debut. A Bouldering World Cup finalist and consistent force on the international circuit, she has inspired athletes around the world with her resilience and tenacity — overcoming severe scoliosis and spinal fusion surgery early in her career to become one of the nation’s top competitors. Originally from Shoreview, Minnesota and now based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Condie also serves as an Athlete Director on the USA Climbing Board of Directors, co-hosts the Circle Up! podcast and continues to push the sport forward both on and off the wall.
Meet Sophie Curcio, National Team Athlete:
Sophie Curcio started climbing when she was just 10-years-old and has competed in the Speed discipline at more than 20 World Cups. This year, she won Gold at USA Climbing’s National Team Trials and Silver at the North American Cup Series Salt Lake City. A staunch advocate for the sport, Curcio was one a few athletes chosen to welcome Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, during his 2024 visit to the University of Utah. Curcio currently serves on the USA Climbing Board of Directors and as USA Climbing’s Team USA Athletes’ Commission Representative. Sophie Curcio and Emma Hunt also recently set the National and Pan American Women’s Speed record in the newly sanctioned relay format, in which their combined time was just 14.52 seconds.
Meet Nekaia Sanders, National Development Team Athlete:
Since she started climbing at just 9-years-old, Nekaia Sanders has won medals at four National-level competitions and represented Team USA at four international World Cups. Sanders recently made her first World Cup Semi-Finals, immediately followed by her first World Cup Finals in Curitiba, Brazil, quickly becoming a crowd favorite at that event. She also serves on the USA Climbing Board of Directors, USA Climbing Athletes’ Commission and as USA Climbing’s Team USA Athletes’ Commission Alternate Representative.
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