Scaling new heights

TOKYO • Sport climbing debuts at the Olympics in a controversial combined format requiring athletes to excel in three radically different disciplines to secure a single gold medal on offer to each gender.

They will compete across three disciplines - speed, bouldering, lead climbing - and gold will go to the climber with the lowest combined score, a multiplication of their rankings in each category.

For instance, if a climber is first in speed, third in bouldering, and fourth in lead climbing, the final score would be: 1 x 3 x 4 = 12.

The growth in the popularity of climbing and its codification as a competitive sport is tied to the growth of artificial walls at climbing gyms. The development of international events then opened the path to Olympic inclusion.

Only 20 male and 20 female athletes will compete in the three disciplines from Aug 3 to 6 at Tokyo's Aomi Urban Sports Park, a venue which will also host 3x3 basketball.

Speed will see competitors racing head-to-head up a 15m wall via identical routes; bouldering sees them attempt to master knotty climbing problems on a 4.5m wall in a four-minute time frame; while in lead, roped athletes attempt to climb as high as possible within six minutes.

Medal limits imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at climbing's first Games led to the decision to combine disciplines to ensure maximum exposure for the fast-growing sport, although that in turn means some of the world's best climbers will not be appearing in Tokyo.

Even favourites like the Czech Republic's Adam Ondra will need to perform in weaker disciplines - in his case the speed event - for a chance to win gold.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on training has also added to the uncertainty.

"We are all new to this format, and we all are playing the game with very unpredictable results," Ondra said in a previous YouTube video. "I must say it makes it pretty exciting."

The sport's elite climbers are already showing results from pivoting to less familiar disciplines.

Miho Nonaka, a bouldering specialist, took third place in speed at the Climbing World Cup in Salt Lake City in May.

"As the only discipline where you compete against an opponent, I really understood that speed is not just about timing but that it's a psychological battle," said Nonaka on her YouTube channel.

Another Japanese athlete, Tomoa Narasaki, has also cut his speed time to 5.7sec, within striking distance of the 5.5sec recorded by France's Bassa Mawem, a speed veteran and the oldest climber at Tokyo 2020.

With only 40 competitors and the format favouring all-rounders, some of the world's best in their specialised disciplines were unable to qualify.

Speed hot spot Indonesia failed to secure a single climbing spot at the Games. One of the country's top climbers, Veddriq Leonardo, set a world speed record of 5.208sec at the Utah competition in May.

The setback may be temporary, however, with speed to be split from bouldering and lead climbing at Paris 2024, offering more opportunity for the sport's young athletes and greater potential for record-breaking times.

REUTERS