In front of a packed crowd, the 19 year old phenom first clocked in at 4.67 seconds, shaving milliseconds off his own previous record of 4.74, but he wasn’t done. In the final run of the event Watson laid down an electrifying 4.64 second ascent, officially setting a new world benchmark in men’s speed climbing.
“NFL players do the two-minute drill where they do a simulation of going through processes, and if I want to break a [personal best] in practice I will do the same,” Watson said after the event. “I pretend I win gold, my opponent false started, and I just want to give the crowd one more run, especially this crowd here in Bali. Everything just went right.”
The competition wasn’t without challenges. Bali’s heat pushed athletes to the limit, and Watson was no exception.
“The qualifiers and practice were boiling. I came back and put an ice pack on my head,” he said. “But I am a competitor and the conditions affect everybody. I was lucky we got a bit of overcast so there was a little bit of shade, and I am really happy now. I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
With an Olympic bronze medal around his neck and the world record in his pocket, Watson continues to solidify his status as one of the sport’s top contenders, but he’s keeping things in perspective and enjoying the moment.
“I’ll be going down to the beach and hanging out for about a day and enjoying this backdrop,” he added. “I’ll relax for a bit and enjoy this beautiful city, country, island. Then I’ve got Denver. The World Cup Series overall is one of my goals, and I am not going to let it go. I will keep pushing and not let it go to my head.”
IFSC World Cup continues in Denver, Colorado on May 31 through June 1.
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