A Brand-New Discipline Arrives in Kraków
On 3 July 2026, the World Climbing Series Kraków 2026 became the stage for something genuinely unprecedented: the first international competition in Speed mixed relay climbing. Thirty-two pairs from 20 nations lined up for a qualification round that had no historical precedent, no existing records, and no established benchmarks. By the end of the session, the record books had been written from scratch.
As first reported by World Climbing, the event filled a specific gap in the sport's relay calendar. The men's and women's relay formats had already made their international debuts at The World Games in Chengdu, China the previous year. The mixed relay, however, had never been run at international level before Kraków.
Hunt and Watson Write the First Chapter
American climbers Emma Hunt and Samuel Watson claimed the top qualification spot with a combined time of 11.22 seconds, simultaneously establishing both the world record and the inaugural Pan American record in the discipline.
Second place went to Indonesia 2, represented by Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi and Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi, who posted 11.48 seconds and set the first Asian record. Ukraine 2's Polina Khalkevych and Yaroslav Tkach qualified sixth in 11.94, a mark that became the inaugural European record. Even teams that did not advance contributed to the record books: New Zealand's Sarah Tetzlaff and Ned Johnston finished 30th in 17.90 seconds, establishing the first Oceania record. With no African teams competing in Kraków, that continental record remains open.
Poland Sneaks Into the Finals on Home Ground
Twelve nations qualified at least one team for the finals, with China, Indonesia, Italy, and Spain each sending two pairs through to the knockout rounds. The final spot, 16th place, went to host nation Poland. Fiancés Anna Brożek and Marcin Dzieński combined for a time of 12.99 seconds to secure that last ticket.
Brożek, who had only arrived home the day before the competition, admitted she had worried about switching back into competition mode. She described the mixed relay as carrying a different kind of pressure from individual events, and said competing alongside her fiancé made the experience more enjoyable rather than more stressful. Dzieński was equally enthusiastic, noting he felt confident running the second leg and already had ambitious split-time targets in mind for the final.
Both athletes were also scheduled to compete in the individual Speed finals the following day, giving Kraków a full programme of Speed climbing across both formats.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Kraków is hosting a competition that is generating genuine firsts in its sport, the kind of milestone that attracts athletes, coaches, and climbing fans who are motivated to witness history rather than simply attend a routine event. Independent accommodation operators near the venue can expect guests who are highly engaged with the programme schedule and who may extend their stays to follow multiple event days. Communicating proximity to the competition venue clearly, offering flexible check-out on finals days, and being aware of the 12:00 and 16:00 start times on day two are small, practical ways to improve the experience for this audience. Climbing tourists also tend to seek out local crags and indoor walls as part of their trips, so any local knowledge an operator can share about Kraków's climbing scene adds real value.
Details from the qualification round were first reported by World Climbing on their official event coverage page for the World Climbing Series Kraków 2026. This post is published by the Qontaktly travel blog.
First reported by Krakow Travel.