LOS ANGELES, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Two rock climbers set a speed record on El Capitan in California's Yosemite National Park on Monday, three days after another pair of climbers fell to their deaths on the huge rock.
Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell scaled the nearly 90-degree, 2,900-foot (884 meters) sheer granite wall in 2 hours 1 minute 53 seconds, about 9 minutes faster than the old record which was also set by them last Wednesday.
Honnold, 32, and 39-year-old Caldwell are two of the best-known climbers in the world. Honnold is famous for his free-solo ascents, and Caldwell for a number of landmark first ascents including El Capitan's Dawn Wall.
However, amid their successful two races on the rock in one week, two other climbers lost their lives last Saturday at the same place.
The two rock climber fell to death about 8:15 a.m. last Saturday while climbing the Freeblast route on the rock, according to a statement from the National Park Service.
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley. The granite monolith extends about 900 meters from base to summit along its tallest face, and is a popular location for rock climbers.