A legendary competitive climber, Janja Garnbret is considered one of the best. She should be ranked in the same league as Simone Biles because she has brutally outclassed her opponents for eight years, starting at age 17. She came back to this Olympics and was seen as the clear favorite after fighting through almost unbearable pressure to win gold on her maiden attempt in Tokyo.
However, it looked like everything could collapse during the bouldering section’s last round. When Garnbret tried to climb the last boulder, her finger got stuck between two grips, inflicting excruciating pain. She had little trouble finishing the first three bouldering challenges, which put her in first place. She was crying behind the curtain as she left the stage, her eyes full of hot frustration.
About two hours later, the Slovenian athlete returned for the main event, in which participants had to scale a big, steep wall with a variety of extremely difficult grips to reach the highest possible altitude.
Against American Brooke Raboutou, Garnbret won her second Olympic gold medal as the last competitor. The entire audience was cheering her name as she competed. Garnbret’s technique was unmatched, and she had incredible mental toughness.
Even though I didn’t care if my hand or finger was hurt, I was worried that my bone might break. Garnbret noted, “All I wanted to do was enjoy myself by climbing the lead route.” Do it like in training, and everything will work out, I told myself over and over. And I was the one who brought it about.”
Climbing, which is a sport that is becoming more and more popular at the games, had a fantastic final day that came to an exciting conclusion. A fundamental principle of rock climbing is that you either fall or climb higher. Some competitors’ troubles shed light on how difficult some holds and routes may be, even though the scoring system’s intricacies can be quite intricate. Incredible climbers are pushing themselves beyond their competitors and setting new records at every competition.
Even though Garnbret had physical difficulties, she persevered, and lead specialist Ai Mori, 20, of Japan, gave the most fascinating performance. Her performance in the bouldering round was not great, but she received a standing ovation for her outstanding effort on the lead wall, where she managed to hold onto a top grip before tumbling. She received a fourth-place finish.
The feelings of Austrian bronze medallist Jessica Pilz, Garnbret, and Raboutou highlight how rapidly the Olympics have become a significant chance for the sport. This sport has been incorporated into the program. Will climbing be able to exhibit all of its competitions is the question that needs to be answered right now. For both men and women, there was only one event in Tokyo.
This led to the decision to merge all three climbing disciplines into a single championship in Japan, even though lead and boulder climbers hardly ever practice speed climbing and that conventional climbing disciplines, bouldering, and lead, are quite distinct from each other. Garnbret’s ability to win a gold medal in such an unusual event is a credit to her abilities.
Both speed and combined (bouldering and lead) climbing awards were awarded in Paris. As of Saturday, climbers generally agreed that they wanted different medals at the Los Angeles 2028 games for bouldering, lead, combined, and speed climbing.
Garnbret’s notoriety is growing in defiance of the regulations. She has already won eight World Championships, won two silver medals, won 45 gold medals in World Cup competitions, and won two gold medals at the Olympics. No matter the oppressive strain in Tokyo or the strenuous physical hurdles in Paris, she thrives in bouldering and leading, while most climbers have their specialties.
Five-place finisher Erin McNeice of Britain commented, “She is the only person in any other sport who consistently performs well.” Even at just 25, she has an impressive number of medals. The more you examine it, the more astounding her achievement seems, and the more absurd it is. Seeing her perform side by side is motivating.
It wasn’t as simple as many of her previous triumphs. While she basks in this amazing accomplishment, the growing bullseye on her back will only serve to bolster her will to keep going.
“I’ve demonstrated your strength and what’s possible in the past,” Garnbret remarked. “The girls are putting a lot of effort into beating me.” I constantly strive to keep two steps ahead of them because I work hard too. Additionally, today was overdue.
