The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris ended on 10 August, marking the first time climbing was celebrated with a double medal. Speed athletes have participated in a separate category from the combined Boulder and Lead ranking, with a new format that gives greater value to the potential of specialists in different disciplines.
Lee Dohyun from South Korea, IFSC Media, © Drapella/Virt/IFSC
The Speed podium
In fact, at the Tokyo Olympics, Speed athletes did not had many chances to take home a medal - a possibility that was reserved for the most versatile athletes, able to achieve the best results in the combined sum of the three disciplines - but in Paris, they were able to compete for a specific medal of their specialty.
Alexsandra Miroslaw, new world record for women’s speed and first gold in the history of the specialty. IFSC Media, © Drapella/Virt/IFSC
Women results
In the women’s category, Alexandra Miroslaw, who already set a women’s world record of 6.84 seconds in Tokyo but did not achieve a good overall ranking, managed to win the first ever gold medal in Speed. The victory, deserved by both considering his career - started more than twelve years ago - and the new incredible record of 6.06 seconds, set in Paris, crowns for her an absolutely perfect race. The women’s podium is completed by Lijuang Deng, who fought for gold until the last move, and Aleksandra Kalucka.
The Qualifying phase closes with the adventure of Beatrice Colli, determined and fierce as always, who once again represented the unstoppable spirit of the Italian women’s team. Setting her personal best of 6.84 seconds, she managed to manage the pressure of her first Olympic race and put in her best ever performance making us super proud of our team.
Beatrice Colli stops the clock at 6.84, marking her fastest time ever. IFSC Media, © Drapella/Virt/IFSC
Men results
As for the men’s category, also Veddriq Leonardo, already holder of several world records has succeeded in the goal - definitely not taken for granted - to take home the first gold medal of the Speed Olimpica Maschile. Duels, where not only the hundredths of a second counted but also the thousandths, earned Wu Peng the silver medal and Sam Watson the bronze medal, setting a new world record by stopping the timer at 4.74 seconds
Superlative performance also for Matteo Zurloni who stops the time at 4.94, setting the new European male record, as well as his best ever time, and who enters a deserved phase of Quarterfinals, then closing in sixth place. For him an excellent debut at the Olympics, with a perfect race that, in the direct matches phase, did not allow him to proceed beyond a gap of two thousandths of seconds compared to Wu Peng.
Matteo Zurloni in the duel with Amir Maimuratov of Kazakhistan. IFSC Media, © Drapella/Virt/IFSC
Lead & Boulder Combined ranking
The combined of Lead & Boulder brought eight athletes and eight female athletes to compete for the Final stage, where a first place in one of the two disciplines did not imply an assured podium. The public in Paris, very warm and of great support, and the team of Trackers and Technicians have helped to make this new mode of race spectacular and of great effect.
Colin Duffy from USA competing in the semifinal phase. IFSC Media, © Drapella/Virt/IFSC
Women Category
The eight women finalists of the combined ranking bring us names on which we would all bet - like Janja Garnbret, Brooke Raboutou and Oriane Bertone, who after the Semifinals have ranked in the first places, and some surprises like the Australian Oceania Mackenzie and the English Erin McNeice. Among the "big exclusions" and that some would have expected to find in the semifinals there are the Japanese Miho Nonaka, silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, and the American Natalja Grossman, who comes from a series of absolutely perfect racing seasons.
As predicted, even in Paris Janja Garnbret shows the world its temper, controlling each phase of the race from the point of view of the sporting performance and mental. For her a well-deserved gold medal, which makes climb in second place the American Brooke Raboutou, at the top of the form for these Olympics and in third place a determined Jessica Pilz. For the Austrian climber it is surely a great satisfaction that comes after years of dedication, international competitions and some missed podium.
The semi-finals ended with the races of Camilla Moroni and Laura Rogora, who achieved excellent results in their respective specialties: eighth place for Camilla Moroni in the Boulder Semifinal and eighth place for Laura Rogora in the Lead Semifinal. In a hypothetical competition format with the three separate disciplines, they too would have had access to the Final stage.
Janja Garnbret dominates Women Lead & Boulder Combined ranking. IFSC Media, © Drapella/Virt/IFSC
Men category
The men’s category has reserved not a few surprises with Tomoa Narasaki among the great excluded from the Finals; Sorato Anraku dominated the first stages of the race, dominating the boulder rankings and contending for the podium with Jakob Schubert, unstoppable, and Toby Roberts, "maybe" the revelation of these Olympics. The English climber, who actually comes from a great season in the World Cup (such as gold Lead at Wujiang and two third places in Innsbruck and Chamonix), has passed all with a decisive performance right in the round of Final Lead, Winning the first ever gold medal of the Olympic Combined Lead & Speed.
Sorato Anraku, the only Japanese in the final, still brings home a well-deserved silver medal, while Jakob Schubert is third (same result as at the Tokyo Olympics), earning his second Olympic bronze medal. Colin Duffy, on his second Olympic final, was just a breath away from the podium, as well as Alberto Gines Lopez, winner of the previous edition, who finished seventh.
Adam Ondra, always very awaited by the public, is sixth in the combined ranking: despite having reached the top of the lead route with Jakob Schubert, Adam Ondra was penalized by his seventh place in the Boulder Final.
Jakob Schubert wins his second Olympic bronze medal. IFSC Media, © Drapella/Virt/IFSC
What about after the Olympics? If you’ve been passionate about watching the best climbers compete on the Paris Olympic structures, don’t miss the Arco Rock Master in September! The 37th edition of the most historic climbing festival ever will be held on September 14 with the historical duels Lead and with the spectacular race of Boulder! We are waiting for you in Trento!
Cover image: Janja GARNBRET of Slovenia Paris (FRA), 3 August 2024: Janja GARNBRET of Slovenia trains at the Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue during the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
© Drapella/Virt/IFSC
