Tokyo’s Aomi Urban Sports Park today saw the crowning of Sport Climbing’s first Olympic champion in history, where following the men’s Combined final, 18-year-old Alberto Ginés López of Spain claimed the Olympic gold medal. In doing so, Ginés López became the youngest Spanish Olympic gold medallist to date. The USA’s Nathaniel Coleman (24) and Austria’s Jakob Schubert (30) won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
“It's a dream come true,” said Ginés López. “I didn't expect it at all. I didn't expect to get into the final. A dream come true.”
“Our goal from the start was to get into the final, we knew it would be difficult, and then we were in the final. A few things hadn't gone to plan, and we just knew we had to do the best we can,” he added.
“I was doing some calculating, with the points, and then I decided not to get into that, that it wouldn't be good for me. I just decided to do as well as I could, and I thought 'If I do well, I do well, and if I don't, I don't.'”
Ginés López took the top spot in Speed – the opening discipline of the Sport Climbing Combined format – with a time of 6.42 seconds, after Japan’s Tomoa Narasaki (25) slipped on the final run. Narasaki therefore ended the round in second place, with Mickael Mawem of France closing in third.
Alberto Ginés López of Spain placed first in Speed during the men's Combined final at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020Photo: Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC
Olympic Record holder Bassa Mawem, of France, did not compete in today’s final, having acquired a bicep injury during Tuesday’s qualification round. The 36-year-old achieved the first Speed Olympic record on Tuesday, having stopped the clock at 5.45 seconds – just 0.25 seconds away from the men’s Speed world record set by Veddriq Leonardo (24) of Indonesia earlier this year.
In the Boulder round of the men’s Combined final, Nathaniel Coleman secured first place with two tops and three zones. Coleman achieved a flash of the first bloc and was the only Olympian of the seven competing to find a top on boulder two – a running dyno start with a reach back to the zone hold after landing the jump. All except one athlete succeeded in reaching the zone, but it was Coleman who secured the tricky top after battling through the bottom section of the boulder. Mickael Mawem, who closed the round in second with one top and three zones, also reached the final hold, though failed to match two hands with composure and therefore missed out on a second top on the scoreboard. The reigning Boulder World Champion Tomoa Narasaki placed third, matching Mawem’s score of one top and three zones, but using more attempts than the French athlete.
Although all athletes reached the zone on bloc three – a sun shape comprising of large grey volumes and tiny yellow holds on a 35° overhanging wall – not one was able to find a top.
Nathaniel Coleman of the USA took the silver medal in the men's Combined event at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020Photo: Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC
“I thought that the first and third boulder were really reminiscent of outdoor climbing. You need to use your feet well and find precise body positions,” said silver medallist Coleman.
He added: "I don't know how the third boulder was possible, but I'd be curious to talk to the routesetters. The second boulder is a bit of my style, and that is probably the limit of what I could have possibly done tonight, so I just feel incredibly lucky to have lined up with that boulder.”
World Champion of both Combined and Lead in 2018, Jakob Schubert was the only Olympian to top out in the Lead section of the men’s Combined final. Leaping for the finish hold, the Austrian threw himself into first position in Lead and therefore, third place in the Combined ranking. Closely behind him were Adam Ondra (28) of the Czech Republic with 42+ and the USA’s Colin Duffy (17) with 40.
Austria's Jakob Schubert placed third in the men's Combined event at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020Photo: Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC
“I think I've shown in the past that I'm one of the best Lead climbers, so I knew it's going to be really important to be in the best shape possible in my main discipline,” said Schubert.
“In Combined, it's all about the multiplication, so first place means so much and it increases your chances for a medal. That's something I'm also really proud and happy about, not just this medal, but that I could climb so well, top the route, and show the world how cool our sport is.”
The conclusion of the Lead round saw the Combined scoreboard change entirely thanks to a multiplication of scores from each discipline, with Ginés López obtaining 28.00, Coleman 30.00, and Schubert 35.00 points. With the lowest score being equivalent to the highest result, the trio therefore finished in first, second, and third place, respectively.
Left to right: Nathaniel Coleman (USA), Alberto Ginés López (ESP), and Jakob Schubert (AUT): Sport Climbing's first ever Olympic medallists, at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020Photo: Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC
Narasaki ended his Olympic campaign in fourth place with 36.00, Mawem in fifth with 42.00, Ondra in sixth with 48.00, and Duffy in seventh with 60.00. As Bassa Mawem was unable to compete in the men’s Combined final, he concluded his competition in eighth place.
Here are the full results of the Sport Climbing men’s Combined final:
The competition continues tomorrow with the women’s Combined final, which begins at 5:30 PM (UCT+9:00).
For the full schedule and results, click here