Climbing: Alberto Ginés will fight for his second Olympic Gold

Alberto Gines Lopez of Team Spain competes during the Men's Boulder & Lead, Semifinal Lead on day twelve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue on August 07. GETTY IMAGES

The double world champion and world record holder Aleksandra Miroslaw from Poland improve on her fourth-place Tokyo 2020 finish to take gold at Paris 2024.

Wednesday, 7 August was a day that left many medal favourites out, but not the reigning Olympic Champion from Tokyo 2020. Ginés emerged with 72 points (for a total of 100.7) and was once again in contention. He will be in contention to defend his pioneering gold.

Toby Roberts of Team Great Britain competes during the Men's Boulder & Lead, Semifinal Lead on day twelve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. GETTY IMAGES
Toby Roberts of Team Great Britain competes during the Men’s Boulder & Lead, Semifinal Lead on day twelve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. GETTY IMAGES

The Slovenian Luka Potocar, European silver in 2022 and world silver in 2021, was left with 24 points (for a total of 43.6) and, with a punch against the wall, said goodbye to his olympic dream. Until the arrival of Ginés, all the performances had been very discreet. After his passage through the wall, which left him provisional first for four rounds, Ginés finished fourth after the sum of blocks and difficulty. Czech climbing legend Adam Ondra was the first to lift him out of the seat. An unexpected mistake by another of the greats, Germany’s Alexander Megos, last year’s world bronze medallist, ensured the Spanish climber’s presence in the final.

Ginés’ performance, far superior to anything else seen, conditioned everything that remained to be seen. The Spanish athlete, who before falling had only had some difficulty in the blue zone of the third level, where the Team GB’s Hamish McArthur, was the first climber to reach the highest section (four points per hold). There were plenty of rivals still to race, but he knew that his 72 points (out of a possible 100) could be enough to get him into the top eight again. 

Last but not least where the women’s speed semis, where the crowd saw double world champion and world record holder Aleksandra Miroslaw from Poland improve on her fourth-place Tokyo 2020 finish to take gold at Paris 2024. Deng Lijuan of the People’s Republic of China climbed her lifetime best in the final, finishing a mere eight-hundredths of a second behind Miroslaw. Poland’s Aleksandra Kalucka beat her Indonesian opponent Rajiah Sallsabillah to take the bronze.

Aleksandra Miroslaw of Team Poland celebrates after their heat and setting a new world record. GETTY IMAGES
Aleksandra Miroslaw of Team Poland celebrates after their heat and setting a new world record. GETTY IMAGES

What happened in semi-finals?

Things started on Monday 5 August in the first climbing competition of the week, with men’s Boulder semi-finals and Sorato topping the rankings. Anraku Sorato did just that, with the 17-year-old phenomenon from Japan laying down a huge marker in the semi-finals of the sport climbing men’s Boulder and Lead event at Paris 2024.

With four boulders to scale in total, world number one Anraku started with two top holds to take a commanding 14.6-point lead (69.0) overall going into Wednesday’s Lead semi-final.

Reigning Olympic champion Alberto Gines Lopez (28.7) has work to do, meanwhile, placing 14th, while Anraku’s compatriot Narasaki Tomoa (54.4) was second. Only the top eight athletes with the best combined total will make Friday’s final, with legendary climber Adam Ondra (48.7), Team GB’s Toby Roberts (54.1) and French hope Sam Avezou (49.2) also impressing on Monday (5 August).

With varying degrees of difficulty, all four boulders presented their challenges, and it took a while before a top hold was achieved. The first to do so was Austria’s Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist, Jakob Schubert, on the first boulder. However, the noise from that moment was nothing compared to the levels when home hope Avezou scaled the fourth and final boulder shortly after.

Avezou, who won the Olympic Qualifier Series event in Budapest in June, roared as he landed back on the mat to the delight of the crowd. Meanwhile, Czechia’s Ondra, chasing Olympic gold after missing out on the podium at Tokyo 2020, saved his best for last to finish fifth overall after scoring 24.8 on the last boulder, as did Japan’s Narasaki.

However, this half of the semi-final belonged to Anraku. It was a masterclass from the rising star, who surpassed his opening 24.9 with a perfect 25.0 on the second boulder, drawing gasps from the crowd.

The gravity-defying climb involved a daring leap for the top hold, with the audience appreciating the move as he jumped up to first place. Just after Great Britain’s Roberts scored 24.7 on the final boulder to finish third, Anraku came out to a huge roar as the last climber to complete this stage of the event. With the stage to himself, Anraku was unable to achieve a third top hold, but heading into Wednesday’s lead semi-final, he is primed to make the final and looks to be the climber to beat.

In the other category, Aleksandra Mirosław wowed the crowd with a stunning world record time of 6.06 seconds in the women’s Speed qualifying at Paris 2024, just moments after breaking her previous world record. The Polish sport climbing great, a two-time Speed world champion, reached the top in 6.21 seconds on her first climb, bettering the 6.24 she had set in September 2023, and went even quicker shortly after with a new record of 6.06 seconds.

Up against South Africa’s Aniya Holder in the seeding run, Mirosław was greeted with huge cheers at the Le Bourget Climbing Venue. Going up Lane B first, Mirosław scaled the wall in a staggering 6.21 seconds, celebrating on her way back down before taking a moment to breathe and take it all in.

Not even 20 minutes later, this time in Lane A with an expectant crowd watching on, the 30-year-old dazzled again. Totally in the zone, Mirosław slapped the button at the top of the wall, projecting a time of 6.06 seconds across the venue. This prompted an even bigger celebration from her, her team, and the audience. It pushes the Pole within milliseconds of breaking the six-second barrier, which had been unthinkable just a few years ago.

While she may well have her sights set on breaking that barrier, the gold medal is firmly on her mind at these Olympics. In her bid for gold, Mirosław breezed through the elimination round that followed, going 6.10 seconds—just 0.04 seconds off her new record—to knock out Holder.

The New Sport Climbing Format
At Paris 2024, there will be two sport climbing events per gender: Boulder and lead combined, and speed climbing. Four gold medals will be awarded at Le Bourget, the Olympic venue for sport climbing in the north of Paris.

In the combined event, athletes will compete in both boulder and lead. Rankings will be determined by adding together the points won in each of those specialties. The goal of the competition is to reach the highest point an athlete possibly can on the climbing wall. Every time a zone or move is validated, points will be awarded to the climber, while unsuccessful attempts will lead to a point deduction. The best possible score is 200.

General view inside the venue as Team United States fans wave their flag during the Men's Boulder & Lead Semifinal. GETTY IMAGES
General view inside the venue as Team United States fans wave their flag during the Men’s Boulder & Lead Semifinal. GETTY IMAGES

In speed climbing, athletes will attempt to reach the top of a 15-meter wall as quickly as possible. The format will include a qualification round followed by head-to-head races. Victorious athletes will progress through a bracket to the finals, which will determine the first male and female Olympic speed climbing champions.

“The two events are completely different, and fans will notice that just by looking at the climbers’ body types. They have very different styles,” Oriane Bertone explained to Olympics.com during a camp with the French national team. Boulder and lead require more sustained effort, while in speed climbing, being rapid is the key.



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