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14-Year-Old a Rock Star in Climbing World

Veteran rock climbers are calling her one of the strongest in the world. She flies up, pinching the rock, lunging gracefully for practically nonexistent holds. And she’s only 14.

Meet Ashima Shiraishi, the New York teen who’s shaking up the climbing world. After becoming the first female and the youngest ever to climb one of the most difficult routes known to rope climbers, her goal for this year sounds nearly impossible.

Last year, when she was 13 years old, Shiraishi achieved that first ever climb on a 5.15 route. For most of us, the rating almost doesn’t matter after a certain difficulty level, but to give you an idea: the world’s toughest roped climbs are currently rated 5.15c. They taunt climbers with crimpy moves, dynos, underclings, and extreme awkwardness.

The route, called “Open Your Mind Direct” in Spain, had been suggested to Shiraishi by American Chris Sharma, one of the best in the world. Originally a 5.14d route, the path up became more difficult after a hold broke off near the top, turning it into a 5.15a, Rock and Ice reported. My arms burn just looking at the overhang.

But like a veteran climber, Shiraishi manged to “send” it on her fourth day.

Shiraishi first learned to climb on rocks in Central Park as a child. At age 9, she went on a bouldering trip to Texas. Falling prompted some tears, but she didn’t give up and held her own with the adults.

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Conor McGregor stuns Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to take UFC featherweight.

Conor McGregor boasted again and again what would happen when Jose Aldo stood across from him in the octagon. But even the 27-year-old Irishman never went so far as to predict that Aldo, undefeated in 18 bouts going back to 2005, would be knocked out cold in 13 seconds.

That’s precisely what happened on Saturday night inside a rabid MGM Grand Garden Arena, where a swathe of McGregor’s countrymen gathered to watch a result many grew convinced, mostly through the power of McGregor’s demeanor and words, was inevitable.

But even the most hardcore of believers could not have envisioned McGregor smoothly slipping and parrying a righthand lead from the Brazilian, then coming across with an immaculately timed left that distorted Aldo’s jaw and flung him unconscious to the canvas.

“No power, just precision,” said a matter-of-fact McGregor, who reacted to the stunning victory as if it was simple destiny. “No speed, just timing. That’s all it takes. These are four-ounce gloves. That’s all it takes.”

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Powerboating on the crest of a wave

Formula One is not the only high speed, high octane racing that’s going on in Abu Dhabi this weekend. In addition to the last race in the 2015 F1 calendar, there’s the UIM XCAT extreme catamaran World Series, where 14 boats are competing. XCAT, short for extreme catamaran, is one of the most challenging and extreme forms of powerboat racing in the world.

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