Racing to the top: NZ speed climber's success in Asia

When New Zealand athlete Julian David is braced on the starting line, he knows the challenge ahead of him is the same anywhere in the world, it is just the venue that changes.  

Julian is a speed climber, an Olympic sport where two opponents race up a wall. The challenge is to climb a 15 metre high wall using 20 holds. Fastest to the top wins.   

‘[Speed climbing] is the equivalent of the 100 metre sprint, but vertical,” he says, “Each time I climb it, it’s more rewarding. It never gets boring.”  

Julian got into climbing through a suggestion from a teacher at Tauranga Intermediate. 

“I had always been into climbing trees and had broken my wrist, a teacher suggested I give the sport of climbing a go.”  

Tauranga Intermediate had its own climbing wall, and so with a little bit of experience and a mended wrist, he competed at the Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools (AIMS) Games in 2018. He ended up coming third, so decided to join the local club, Bay of Plenty Sport Climbing Association (BOPSCA).  

A few years on, with hours of training completed at the Mount Maunganui, Blake Park club wall, Julian is now breaking records and taking titles, and as it happens his successes have come in Asia.  

New Zealand speed climber Julian David preparing for competition. Image: Supplied

His international climbing career started late in 2022 when he competed in Jakarta, his first World Cup competition. Then at only his second World Cup event in Seoul earlier in 2023, his training started to pay off.  

“It was my first experience of competing in South Korea. The facility was top quality. It’s one of the best walls I have ever been on,” he says. 

The world-class climbing venue is in Yongma Falls Park, which also features Asia’s largest artificial waterfalls.  

This event would mark the beginning of the record-breaking season. Julian would leave Seoul as the holder of the Oceania speed climbing record of 6.4 seconds, and the belief he could become the first person in Oceania to break the 6-second mark. He ticked that off while competing on the climbing circuit in Europe, before returning to South Korea for the 2023 Youth World Championships.   

Julian, his fellow team mates, and supporters celebrate. Image: Supplied

“My first trip to Gangnam (Seoul) was incredible, the second time we stayed on the other side of the river, it was almost like a completely different place, even though it was still in Seoul. I didn’t realise how big Seoul was.”  

There was some comfort and confidence returning there for the World Championships in August 2023.   

“It ended up being quite a good result before coming home.”  

Quite a good result is a modest phrase. He left South Korea with the Youth World title and as the first New Zealander to win a World Climbing title.  

Julian proceeded through to the finals managing the difficult wet climbing conditions and going under 6 seconds twice. The final featured a slippery wall plus competition nerves, but in the end, it was Julian who took the top spot.  

As he told the International Federation of Sport Climbing: “I couldn’t believe it. It really came down to performing and putting it down on the day. I lost my voice from all the screaming. It was incredible. I am the champion of the world!”  

And how does a Kiwi celebrate a world first while in Seoul?  

The New Zealand climbing team in Seoul. Image: Supplied

The following day, Julian and the NZ team explored Seoul, visiting the Seoul Tower, shopping, and Julian’s favourite, experiencing many of the different food options.  

“It was probably the best fun trying all the different foods.”  

The sport of climbing was recognised officially in the late 1900s, with its origins in the mountains. Like many sports, it evolved over time with the modern movement called “rock ballet”. Rules and regulations have changed over time, though it really gained international exposure when it was introduced into the Tokyo (2021) 2020 Olympics and has now been confirmed in the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 programmes.  

Julian has qualified for Paris 2024, after his win at the IFSC Sport Climbing Oceania Qualifier on November 26. Now that he's won that, his programme for the next 8 months will be all about performing on the Olympic stage. 

- Asia Media Centre