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Zach Hammer, an Olympic speed climber on the U.S. team, is one of the youngest athletes on the sport climbing team. He grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, attended Skyline High School, and trained at Planet Rock Climbing Gym in Madison Heights. Climb sat down with Zach before he left for Paris for his Olympic debut to talk speed, training, and decompression methods.
Zack Hammer's athletic performance
Qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics (Men's Speed) Holds Men's Youth A record American Speed Record: 5.12 2023 YETI National Championship: 5th place (Men's Speed) 2023 IFSC World Cup Wuji: 11th (Men's Speed) 2023 IFSC World Championships Bern: 16th place (Men's Speed) 2023 Youth National Championships: 3rd place (Men's Youth A, Speed) (Photo courtesy of Zach Hammer)
interview
Climbing: How did you start climbing?
Hammer: I started climbing when I was three years old. I have two older brothers and two parents, and they all started climbing at the same time. My brother, who is 6 years older than me, first saw a climbing gym when he was doing gymnastics across the street. So he went to try it. he loved it.
The whole family fell into it. It was a pretty quick progression for us from not knowing what climbing was to being avid climbers. But for me, it was 3 years old. I basically started climbing before I was old enough to walk. A few years later, I joined a team that organized small competitions as a hobby. During and after the pandemic, when I was 14 and 15, I started taking competitions more seriously.
Climbing: I know there's a Planet Rock Climbing Gym in Ann Arbor, but why drive an hour to Madison Heights?
Hammer: Ann Arbor has a Planet Rock gym, but it doesn't have a speed wall. My brother was one of the best speed climbers in the country at the time, so going to Madison Heights was very important to us.
I was quite young at the time, but I tried the speed wall and it took about a minute. As I got older, tackling speed walls became something of a daily routine. However, the commute itself wasn't that easy, and after graduating from high school, I basically drove an hour to the climbing gym every day.
Then I would train for 3-4 hours, drive home, sleep, and do that every day. I am so grateful to be in Salt Lake now, where I can drive 10 minutes to the gym and walk to school. It's definitely a change.
(Photo: Courtesy of Zack Hammer)
Climbing: Why did you specifically want to get into speed climbing?
Hummer: For competitive climbing, those aged 12 and under compete for speed in random jug holes just 8 meters high, rather than standardized speed routes. So technically it's speed climbing, but it's a completely different kind of competition. Around that time, my older brother Max was doing adult speed walls and I wanted to try it as soon as possible.
I've always been a dynamic climber, a high-flying, powerful, explosive climber. My technique as a child was terrible, but I could jump. This is very suitable for speed climbing, and I won a national competition in the speed category as a C-division climber.
Climbing: In Tokyo, speed climbing, lead climbing, and bouldering were combined into one event. Do you think it was a good idea to split speed climbing into Paris?
Hammer: To be honest, the entire climbing community hated that all three disciplines were lumped together. But this is how the sport that will be competing in the Olympics for the first time works. Bouldering and lead climbers were unable to demonstrate their strength, and speed climbers were also unable to demonstrate their strength. It was a loss for everyone. This year, the IOC has awarded us a total of two medals. Of course, it's not perfect yet. We'd like to separate them all, but it's definitely much better that way.
For speed climbers, it means they can finally prove themselves.
Climbing: What is your current training plan?
Hammer: I train 4-5 days a week. On training days, I spend about 6 hours at the gym. I wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, and then go to the gym. It takes about an hour to warm up and then climb for up to two and a half hours. Then I take a short break, have lunch, and do a lifting session in the evening.
On my days off, I usually go to the gym for about an hour and do some stretching and mobility training. I go to a climbing gym every day, but I don't necessarily climb every day.
(Photo: Courtesy of Zack Hammer)
Climbing: Was there a moment when you knew you wanted to get serious about speed climbing?
Hammer: The biggest moment in my career so far was last summer at the World Championships in Bern, Switzerland. At that point, I had never been a finalist in an IFSC competition. However, if you want to qualify for OQS, [the Olympic Qualifying Series] I needed to jump out at the World Championships. He then updated his personal best in the tournament and advanced to the finals for the first time. So basically, at the exact moment I had to play, I played.
Climbing: What are your hobbies outside of climbing? What do you do to decompress?
Hammer: I mainly relax by watching TV or playing video games, but other than climbing, my hobbies are slacklining and Frisbee. I don't do many of those because I don't want to get injured climbing, but they are definitely some of my favorites.
Climbing: Do you have a shout out to your biggest supporters over the years?
Hammer: The cheers go primarily to my family and coaches. My parents and siblings were very supportive. We couldn't have accomplished this without them. Then coach Becca Saag is the head coach at Planet Rock in Madison Heights. She has been incredibly important to my development as a climber and as a person. She is a phenomenal coach and is doing a great job with her players right now.
And my current coaches, Albert Och and Matt Madison, are also based here in Salt Lake. They are helping me realize my potential.
This interview has been lightly edited for length.
