Their game is speed, but they’ve been practising patience for their sport to have its own event in the Olympic Games for years.

Now that time will finally come at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and they’re among the select few competing.

Tauranga speed climbers Julian David and Sarah Tetzlaff are ecstatic to take their athletic skills to the next level in France at the Olympics, which run from July 26 - August 11.

The pair have recently been announced as the first athletes selected for the NZ speed climbing team. “Being selected to the NZ Olympic team is just incomprehensible for me,” says Sarah.

“Back when I started climbing 12 years ago, there was no pathway to the Olympics for the sport and it wasn’t ever something I dreamed of.”

Now it’s at dream that will soon to come true.

For 19-year-old Julian, he’s had his sights set on the Olympics for a while. “I was like seven years old watching the 2012 London Olympics and I was like: ‘I really want to do this’ but I didn’t know what sport,” says Julian.

“At the time I was doing all these different sports like swimming, biking, running, football, and I finally landed on climbing and did pretty well.”

As the name suggests, speed climbing is a type of sport climbing where athletes compete for the quickest time ascending to the top of the climbing wall.

This speedy pair competed last year in World Cups, pitting them against top international athletes before qualifying for their spots in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after winning their divisions at the Oceania qualification tournament in Melbourne late last year.

Wild and special

“The last two years on the speed programme I have fundamentally changed into a person who backs herself, has a lot of self-belief and now trusts the process,” says Sarah.

“To then have this growth be rewarded with an Oceania title and an Olympic spot is really something so wild and special to me.”

Julian says he’ll go to the Olympics with no expectations.

“As soon as you do that there’s pressure, and then people usually fold under pressure. So I’ll go in with no expectations and see what happens but I’m feeling pretty confident.”

And the best thing about speed climbing?

“The adrenaline rush after you get a good time because you know once you get a good time, you want another time; you just keep improving and you just keep getting addicted,” says Julian.

A privilege and big win!

“It is also such a privilege to be in a position where my achievements are inspiring the next generation of climbers and providing them with the proof that something like this could be possible for them,” says Sarah. 

“This is a big win for speed climbing and I’m so excited to see the sport explode in NZ, and for people to watch our amazing sport!”