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speed climbingThis 15-year-old runs up a 15-meter wall like no other
Shahin Häller recently became U-18 Swiss champion. The sports student wants to aim high in the sport of speed climbing.
Shahin Häller shows what she can do on the wall.
20min/Michael Scherrer
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Shahin Häller recently became U-18 Swiss Champion in speed climbing.
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The 15-year-old high school student knows exactly what she wants.
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A long-term goal for the Lucerne native is the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Climbing 15 meters on a vertical wall as fast as you can is speed climbing. The route is always the same, the climbers seem to just fly up the wall – secured with only one belay device (Speed-Toppas). The goal of the athletes is to push oneself to the limit, to beat one’s own best time once more and once more.
One of these is 15-year-old Shahin Häller from Lucerne. She recently became U-18 Swiss champion. In a conversation with 20 minutes, it quickly becomes apparent that the 3rd secondary school student at the Kriens sports school knows exactly what she wants: to get to the top quickly. Shahin currently has a personal best of 13 seconds. Her next goal, which she is aiming for as quickly as possible, is a time under ten seconds. But now, in winter, the first thing to do is to build up strength. “By the next competition, which will be the qualification for the Swiss championship in June/July, I would like to realize this time,” says Shahin.
She communicates her goals clearly
At some point, the 15-year-old, who is aiming for sports KV in Lucerne following her last year at school, also wants to “very much like to attack the world record”. This is currently 6.53 seconds for women and exactly five seconds for men (see video below). Shahin’s speed trainer Raoul Waltenspühl explains 20 minutes in the Gaswerk climbing hall in Wädenswil that it is exactly what stands out for her: “What Shahin brings with her is that she knows exactly where she wants to go. This sets her apart from other athletes. She communicates her goals very clearly and lives what she wants.”
Waltenspühl, who became Swiss champion in the elite, thinks highly of Shahin and expects her to improve her performance. He can only guess when this will happen in the next few years. “The increase in performance can happen at any time. It’s not a linear process, it can click at some point.”
In addition to the world record, Shahin is also aiming for the 2028 Olympics. Speed climbing has been Olympic since 2020. «2028 in Los Angeles would be my big dream. I think every athlete wants to compete with the best, I like this competitive spirit, »says Shahin, who is a member of SAC Zofingen and SAC Uto and trains with the Kraftroid team in Lenzburg.
Shahin Häller is a 15-year-old speed climber.
20min/Michael Scherrer
She (M.) recently became Swiss champion in the U-18 category.
David Swiss
In speed climbing, the athletes have to conquer a 15 meter high wall.
20min/Michael Scherrer
Speed climbing is a marginal sport in Switzerland, Shahin has only been doing it for two years and is keen to make it more popular. But that takes time, says the student. By showing strong performances, she can do her part, she explains. Shahin, who climbed every tree as a little girl, was introduced to the sport by her mother. She took these with her on via ferratas and ultimately also in a hall. “I thought it was super cool there, I also wanted to do competitive sports, so I slipped in.”
No blisters, but scratches
The Lucerne native now trains six to eight hours a week. The student, who describes biology and history as her favorite subjects, is fascinated by the fact that “a lot of different movements are integrated, but it’s always something different. Although it is always the same wall in speed, there are various jumps and new movements that you can try out. I think that’s really cool regarding this sport.”
And further: “It’s a matter of a few seconds in which you bring your body to the limit. I think that’s great. After a workout you realize that you are exhausted. I still have sore muscles, especially following strength training I’m broken.” Anyone expecting blisters on Shahin’s hands is wrong. Only a few scratches on her legs testify to the successful competition at the Swiss Championships. If you keep running up a 15 meter high wall, you have to expect compromises.
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