Chalien Dantes / Contributor

Rohan Freeman has made history as the first Jamaican to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
 He accomplished this at around 6:45 a.m. on  Saturday, May 23^rd , 2026. Because of this, the climb will now be known as his second successful ascent of Mount Everest, after his first in 2009.

Now in his late 50s, Freeman has battled asthma throughout his journey but has continued to push through extreme conditions across some of the world’s toughest mountains. His achievements include becoming the first Jamaican and African American to complete the Seven Summits challenge.

Freeman’s path began after moving from Jamaica to the United States to study civil engineering at the University of Connecticut, where he also developed an interest in athletics before turning his focus to climbing.

Over the years, he has climbed Africa’s Kilimanjaro in 2002, Mount McKinley in 2005, and in 2006 reached both Mount Elbrus and Aconcagua. He went on to conquer Everest in 2009, Vinson Massif in 2011, and finally Carstensz Pyramid in 2012.