Adidas Outdoor signed rock climber Kai Lightner, 16, to its team of athletes. Lightner took first place in the 2015 SCS National Championship in Watertown, MA, where he was the youngest competitor in the field. He is an eight-time national champion in the USA Climbing youth circuit and has won three Pan American Championship titles.
“At such a young age, Kai has shown his spirit and dedication to the sport by pushing the limits on national and international levels,” said Greg Thomsen, managing director for Adidas Outdoor, U.S. “He is a driven and passionate athlete, and is already considered a role model to youth climbers. We look forward to watching him grow and are grateful for his continued insight into the progressing needs of young climbers and athletes.”
In September 2014, Lightner earned the gold medal for ages 1415 at the Youth World Championships in Noumea, New Caledonia, becoming the first American Lead World Champion since 1995. In 2013 he began participating in outdoor sport climbing, and in April he climbed Era Vella (5.14d) in Margalef, Spain, his most impressive outdoor route to date. He previously ascended Southern Smoke (5.14c), Lucifer (5.14c) and Omaha Beach (5.14a) in Red River Gorge, Ky.
Lightner was born and raised in Fayetteville, N.C., and began climbing at the age of six, which is also when he began competing in the USA Climbing organization. He attended his first Sport Climbing Series National competition in 2007, and trains at the Triangle Rock Club in Morrisville, N.C.
