The Lead and Speed World Cup season kicks off this weekend in Wujiang, China. All the information on the starting field, schedule, and live stream is available here.
Last weekend, at the Boulder World Cup in Keqiao The first medals of the season have been awarded. The first Lead and Speed World Cup of 2026 will take place in Wujiang from May 8th to 10th.
Lead: All-rounders meet specialists
As usual, many specialists in the discipline will be competing in the first Lead World Cup of the season. These include, for example... Jessica Pilz (AUT), Alberto Ginés López (ESP), Mia Krampl (SLO), Satone Yoshida (JPN), Laura Rogora (ITA) and Jain Kim (KOR). For the Austrian Pilz, the first World Cup also marks a return from a long injury break.
Also participating are several athletes who previously competed in the Boulder World Cup in Keqiao: among them Yufei Pan (CHN), Erin McNeice (GBR), Chaehyun Seo (KOR), Dohyun Lee (KOR), Luca Potokar (SLO), Oceania Mackenzie (AUS), and the two winners, Sorato Anraku (JPN) and Zélia Avezou (FRA). Anraku had already won gold in the Lead event in Wujiang in 2025, while McNeice and Seo shared the gold medal in a rare tie.
The Slovenian woman too Janja Garnbret will be in Wujiang and will climb for the gold medal. The Briton Toby Roberts is surprisingly absent from the Lead season opener.
Having a good chance of winning medals in Wujiang (from left): Chaeyhun Seo, Sorato Anraku, Erin McNeice & Alberto Ginés López | Photos: Nakajima Kazushige/World Climbing
14 starters for Germany, Austria & Switzerland
Also from the ROOF room A total of 14 athletes will start in the Lead event: Max Dinger, Otto Reiter, Sebastian Halenke and Yannick Nagel (GER), Stefan Scherz and Felix Mader (AUT) and Sascha Lehmann (SUI) are registered for the men's event.
In the women's race, Jessica Pilz and Mattea Pötzi will be joined by their teammates Ines Schwaiger, Magdalena Kompein and Julia Fiser (AUT) as well as Roxana Wienand and Annika Müller (GER).
Speed: A race for a new world record?
The first Speed World Cup in 2026 will also be marked by the most recent world record for menA few weeks ago, the then 16-year-old Chinese player Zhao Yicheng achieved a [result/achievement] at the Asian Beach Games. new best time of 4,58 secondsHe thus beat the previous record held by Sam Watson (USA) by 0,06 seconds.
Both of the fastest men in the world are currently registered in Wujiang.This adds extra excitement to the World Cup even before it begins. Reigning world champion Jianguo Long (CHN) and bronze medalist Zach Hammer (USA) will also be competing for a medal in Wujiang. Olympic champion Veddriq Leonardo from Indonesia will also be there.
Vice world champion and German record holder Leander Carmanns will not be competing in China this time. Team Germany will be represented in the men's competition. Andrin Zedler and Sebastian Luke, who have already gained some experience in the World Cup in recent years. They will be reinforced from the DACH region by Kevin Amon, Lukas Knapp and Lawrence Bogeschdorfer from Austria.
China, USA, Italy & Indonesia dominate the starting list
The current fastest woman in the world in speed climbing will not compete in Wujiang: Aleksandra Mirosław (POL) set a time of [missing information] at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 6,06 seconds, the current women's world record set up.
Polish women have been a fixture among the world's elite in speed skiing for many years – and two highly decorated athletes from Poland, Aleksandra and Natalia Kalucka, will be competing in Wujiang. There they will face, among others, the reigning world silver medalist Lijuan Deng (CHN) and the bronze medalist from the last World Championships, Yafei Zhou (CHN).
As usual, China, Indonesia, Italy, and the USA dominate the starting list for the Speed World Cup in Wujiang. Numerous participants are also registered from Japan, as well as several athletes from Iran and Ukraine. Only one woman from the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) will compete in the discipline. Mina Josephine Schultz (GER), which is also holding its adult World Cup there.
In the race for a speed medal (from left): Beatrice Colli, Jianguo Long, Lijuan Deng, Natalia Kalucka & Kiromal Katibin | Photos: Nakajima Kazushige/World Climbing
Wujiang World Cup: Schedule & Program
Friday and Saturday in Wujiang will feature the Lead qualification, semifinals, and finals. Sunday will see the Speed qualification and finals – there are no semifinals in this World Cup discipline. The Speed World Cup series continues in 2026. For the first time, events will be held on four-lane walls. one, with individual and relay medals.
Wujiang (GMT+8) is located with six hours time difference Ahead of Central European Summer Time (GMT+2). All times given are local times in Wujiang.
Lead
- Friday, 8th May 2026
09:00 Qualification Women & Men - Saturday, 9. May 2026
10:30 a.m. Semifinals Women & Men
19:00 PM Men's Final
20:00 PM Women's Final
Speed
- Sunday, 10. May 2026
13:00 Qualification Women & Men
20:00 PM Final Women & Men
Live Stream
Local restrictions will remain in place this season as well. YouTube live stream from World Climbing. Viewers in Europe can watch the semi-finals and finals (Lead) as well as the qualification and finals (Speed) live on Discovery + or the Eurosport Player track – but for a fee.
Alternatively, you can use a VPN client to access the live stream on YouTube. World Climbing's geoblock applies to Europe, China, and parts of South and Central America. We've listed the streams below.
Lead: Semi-finals Women & Men (Saturday 10:30 am, GMT+8)
Lead: Women's & Men's Finals (Saturday 19:00 PM, GMT+8)
Speed: Qualification Women & Men (Sunday 13:00, GMT+8)
Speed: Women's & Men's Finals (Sunday 8:00 PM, GMT+20)
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Credits Cover photo: Nakajima Kazushige/World Climbing