{{short description|American professional sport climber}}
'''Kai Lightner''' (born August 21, 1999) is an American professional competitive sport climber from Fayetteville, North Carolina,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.climbing.com/people/generation-5-16-the-kai-lightner-profile/|title=Generation 5.16: The Kai Lightner Profile|last=Flashman|first=Johanna|website=Climbing Magazine|date=26 April 2018 |language=en-us|access-date=2019-04-18}}</ref> and an advocate for diversity in rock climbing.
==Biography== When Lightner was six years old, he climbed a 50-foot flagpole in his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina. A woman passing on the street gave Lightner's mother the address of a local climbing gym.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hooper|first=Joseph|date=2016|title=Kai Lightner, Climbing's Boy Wonder|url=https://www.mensjournal.com/sports/kai-lightner-climbings-boy-wonder-w481283/|access-date=March 26, 2021|website=Men's Journal}}</ref> Four years later, Lightner won his first youth sport climbing national championship.
In 2014, Lightner earned the gold medal for his age category (14–15) at the Youth World Championships in New Caledonia, becoming the first Youth American Lead World Champion since 1995. In 2015, at the age of 15, he became the Open Lead Climbing National Champion in his first year of eligibility. In 2017, Lightner won Lead Open Nationals in Denver, Colorado.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rockandice.com/climbing-news/ashima-shiraishi-kai-lightner-win-2017-sport-national-championship/|title=Ashima Shiraishi, Kai Lightner Win 2017 Sport National Championship|website=Rock and Ice|date=13 March 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-18}}</ref> Overall, Lightner has earned 10 Youth National Championship titles and is a five-time Youth World Championship Medalist.<ref>{{Cite web|title=bio|url=http://www.kai-lightner.com/bio|access-date=2021-04-09|website=Kai Lightner|language=en-US}}</ref>
Lightner has become an advocate for diversity in rock climbing. In the summer of 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests, Lightner founded a nonprofit called [https://climbing4change.org/ Climbing for Change](C4C).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Diouf|first=Amath|date=September 25, 2020|title=Climbing4Change: Kai Lightner Helps BIPOC Ascend to New Heights|url=https://gearjunkie.com/climbing/climbing4change-kai-lightner-climbing-diversity|access-date=March 26, 2021|website=Gear Junkie}}</ref> The goal of C4C is to provide opportunities for people of color both in climbing gyms and outside. In a 2020 article in Climbing Magazine, Lightner proposed that through his own media exposure, climbing might evolve to be a more inclusive activity, noting that in Black and white communities alike, climbing is perceived as "a white sport."<ref>{{Cite web|title= Why Aren't There More Black Climbers? These Athletes Know Why and Aim to Make a Difference| date=18 June 2021| url=https://www.climbing.com/news/why-arent-there-more-black-climbers-these-athletes-know-why-and-aim-to-make-a-difference/}}</ref>
In 2016, Lightner was featured alongside climber Ashima Shiraishi in the Reel Rock 11 film ''Young Guns''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/reel-rock-11-young-guns|title=REEL ROCK 11: Young Guns |last=Davis |first=Shannon |date=2016-09-08 |website=REI Co-op Journal |access-date=2019-04-18}}</ref>
In 2020, Lightner was enrolled at Babson College<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Findlay|first1=Kaia|last2=Rao|first2=Anita|date=2020-07-27|title=Kai Lightner Climbs For The Next Generation|url=https://www.wunc.org/sports/2020-07-27/kai-lightner-climbs-for-the-next-generation|access-date=2021-03-26|website=WUNC|language=en}}</ref> after graduating high school as valedictorian. He created a non-profit for diversity and inclusivity in rock climbing.
In 2025, Lightner was in Reel Rock 19.
== Outdoor climbing highlights== * Ciudad de Dios (5.14d/5.15a) in Santa Linya, Spain <sup>[https://gripped.com/news/kai-lightner-continues-streak-of-hard-sends/?mc_cid=376d52d64a&mc_eid=8c4bb53d29 <nowiki>[11]</nowiki>]</sup> * Direct Into Your Fabelita (5.14d) in Santa Linya, Spain <sup>[https://gripped.com/news/kai-lightner-continues-streak-of-hard-sends/?mc_cid=376d52d64a&mc_eid=8c4bb53d29 <nowiki>[11]</nowiki>]</sup> * ''Death of Villains'' (5.15a) in Hurricave, Utah<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gripped.com/news/kai-lightner-climbs-new-5-15a-with-death-of-villains-in-utah/?fbclid=IwAR0QAjMyzAXiLusxHY1O906NJEwG-Y-pZSaf01364kjHA1aYQGCWvCh58xE_aem_AdWDMMAbAaQSJiR0nnkNnE3zANVom6qt-VqPl4X6kfKjwavhH_D_NHC8_QCs9JXXr_k |title= Kai Lightner Climbs New 5.15a with Death of Villains in Utah |date=1 March 2024 |language=en-US|access-date=2024-03-04}}</ref> * ''Life of Villains'' (5.14d) in Hurricave, Utah<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gripped.com/news/kai-lightner-climbs-life-of-villains-5-14d/#:~:text=American%20climber%20Kai%20Lightner%20has,Southern%20Smoke%20at%20age%2013.&text=After%20the%20first%20week%20of%20this%20trip%20I%20felt%20ready%20to%20send|title=Kai Lightner Climbs Life of Villains 5.14d|date=23 November 2023 |language=en-US|access-date=2023-12-20}}</ref> * ''Era Vella'' (5.14c/d) in Margalef, Spain<ref name=":0" /> * ''Lucifer'' (5.14c) and ''Southern Smoke'' (5.14c) in the Red River Gorge<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Climber links | website = http://www.kai-lightner.com/ | ifsc_2020 = 1772 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightner, Kai}} Category:American rock climbers Category:People from Fayetteville, North Carolina Category:Living people Category:1999 births
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