American speed climber Sam Watson, who won a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris, will ride for the fastest spot in the sport at the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, August 25, at Portland International Raceway.
Watson, 18, of Southlake, Texas, is the fastest speed climber of all time. He set a world record of 4.74 seconds in the discipline en route to a bronze medal for the United States in Paris, beating his record of 4.798 seconds set earlier this year at the IFSC Climbing World Cup in Wujiang, China.
The Olympic medal was a culmination of Watson’s international climbing achievements, which also include a gold medal in speed climbing at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, a gold medal at the 2022 IFSC Climbing World Cup in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a win at the 2022 U.S. National Speed Climbing Championships.
Competitive speed climbing, which takes place on an artificial and standardized climbing wall, is the main form of speed climbing.
Watson will join a long list of celebrated INDYCAR Fastest Seat in Sports passengers when he leads the field in a customized INDYCAR SERIES car with a special passenger seat in the back. This fast-paced, high-octane, supercharged rollercoaster ride has already been taken by Jon Bon Jovi, actors Judge Reinhold and Dylan Sprouse, country music star Riley Green and reality TV star Mary Bonnet during the 2024 INDYCAR season.
Live coverage of the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland begins Sunday, August 25 at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES represents the ultimate challenge in racing, with drivers competing at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour on challenging oval and road courses. The full schedule can be viewed here.
