Introduction

A multi-time finalist in World Youth Championship events and youth Pan American champion, Piper Kelly of Indianapolis was one to watch for the USA Climbing coaches. In 2018, Kelly won the senior IFSC Pan American Championships. Her results on the IFSC World Cup circuit have consistently been within the top 30 since 2022, and her performance at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago is Kelly's most impressive to date.

Kelly is coached by Speed expert and YouTuber Albert Ok. Six weeks before the Pan American Games, Kelly moved to Utah to train full-time. Kelly changed her Speed sequence slightly at key stages throughout in the 2023 season, so much so that only four of the moves from her sequence at the start of the year were the same by the end of it. (cutting her time from 7.74 seconds to 7.24 seconds [unofficial PB]).

Qualification route

2023 Pan American Games in Santiago - 1st place

Kelly didn't need to beat her Paris 2024-qualified compatriot Emma Hunt - arguably the favourite to win the event - to earn her own ticket, but that's what she did. Kelly had qualified for the quarter finals in third place, but soon rose through the ranks to face Hunt in the final round. Hunt false-started, giving Kelly the win and a chance to set a continental or world record. She set a new in-competition PB of 7.52 seconds, beating her previous best by three tenths of a second.

Trivia

Kelly graduated from Xavier University in 2023 with a degree in Exercise Science, and minors in Psychology and Spanish.

UKC prediction

Kelly has some time to cut down her PB before Paris, and given her progress in 2023 and her win in Santiago, she will undoubtedly be motivated to work even harder. A top-ten finish should be possible for Kelly, if not top-eight.