ATLANTA — A Kennesaw State University student will travel 5,000 miles away from home after she climbed her way to a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Emma Hunt is a Team USA speed climber in what some call the Spiderman Sport. She sprinted up a 50-foot wall in just seconds.
"It's like over so fast, to leave it all on the wall for 6 seconds. It can be a bit overwhelming," said Hunt.
The 20-year-old from Woodstock will compete in the Pan American Games in Chile on Saturday.
Her mother said when she was only 9 months old, she climbed out of her crib. Now, her mother knows that was only a sign of her future trip overseas.
A Team USA report said that the 20-year-old began her journey of climbing when she was just five years old. She would then join a team in Woodstock at the age of 13 where she began speed climbing.
Hunt said that it takes extreme focus to get up the wall in a short amount of time.
"Really trying to just focus in on the moment from the time it takes you to leave the ground after the beeps," said the speed climber.
According to an NBC Sports report, Hunt beat a world record holder in the world championship semifinals in Switerzland landing her the spot in the Olympics. Not only did she take home the silver medal at worlds, but also the trip to Paris in August.
Hunt also took home the overall gold for the 2021 speed climbing World Cup series. Last year, she placed second in the World Cup series.
Hunt explained to 11Alive's Cheryl Preheim on Friday the logistics of speed climbing.
"If you wait too long, you're like losing time on the wall. But if you go too fast, you could false start and then you're out of the competition," she said.
Hunt told Team USA in August that she would take some downtime before hitting the wall again to prepare for the OIympics.