Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw secured the gold medal in women’s speed climbing at the Paris Games on Wednesday, marking the Olympic debut of the sport as a standalone event. Miroslaw, who had set and broken her own world record twice leading up to the finals, completed the 15-meter wall in 6.10 seconds at the Le Bourget venue. This performance narrowly edged out China’s Deng Lijuan, who finished with a personal best of 6.18 seconds to take the silver medal. Poland's Aleksandra Kalucka earned the bronze with a time of 6.53 seconds.
The Paris Games feature sport climbing for the second time, but this is the first instance where the speed discipline is contested separately from boulder and lead climbing. The distinction reflects the different techniques required for each climbing style. In this high-speed event, even a minor mistake can have significant consequences, as demonstrated by American Emma Hunt's elimination in the quarterfinals due to a slip halfway up the wall. Hunt, who had been a strong contender for gold, was unable to recover from the error.
In the men's lead semifinals, the top eight climbers for the combined boulder and lead competition were determined, setting the stage for Friday's final. Japan’s Sorato Anraku, a gold medal favorite, led the qualifiers after accumulating a substantial lead in the boulder stage. Anraku also performed well in the lead event, where competitors have six minutes to climb as high as possible on a 15-meter structure. His performance in both stages positioned him at the top of the leaderboard.
Japan’s Tomoa Narasaki, who had finished second in the boulder stage, did not advance to the final due to a fall on a difficult section of the lead route. His unsuccessful attempt to secure a podium finish followed his near-miss at the Tokyo Olympics. Narasaki’s slip allowed Britain to be the only country with two climbers in the final, with Hamish McArthur joining 19-year-old Toby Roberts in the competition.
ADD A COMMENT :