Introduction

The first male New Zealander to qualify for an Olympic climbing event, Julian David has already won a personal victory of sorts. On top of that, he’s also won Gold at the Youth World Championships, so, at the age of just eighteen, he has a lot to be proud of. 

That being said, a PB of 5.80 seconds is a step beneath the very best on an international level, so Julian has a big task ahead of him if he wants to challenge for the podium in Paris.

Qualification route

IFSC Speed Oceania Qualifier Melbourne 2023: 1st Place (Speed)

Julian handled the pressure by out-performing local favourite Hayden Barton to win the Oceania final, finishing in a time of 6.77 seconds.

Trivia

When winning the Oceania Qualifier, Julian stopped to celebrate his victory before he hit the pad, only to realise that his opponent was a little closer than he’d thought. The resulting margin of victory ended up being just 0.73 seconds.

UKC prediction

12th - 14th place

Ranked 50th in the world, with a PB of 5.80 seconds, Julian is a step below the world’s elite when it comes to the speed wall. There’s certainly time to improve before Paris, but the improvements will need to be significant if Julian wants to challenge for the medals, or even break into the top 10.