IOC's decision to separate speed climbing from other disciplines paying off

LE BOURGET, France — Aleksandra Miroslaw, a Polish sport climber with her hair pulled in a ponytail on Wednesday, blazed up the speed climbing wall and did more than win a gold medal.

She officially introduced the astonishing speed of sport to the Olympics, with the shiny medal validation for her skill.

Yes, sport climbing made its debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021, but you probably didn’t hear too much about the stunning speed because of a strange competitive format.

Imagine Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter in Olympic history, having been required to do more than run the 100 meters to medal. But instead, to have required him win an event that combined times from the 100, the 1,500 and, maybe, the steeplechase.

Sound silly?

That’s essentially what was required for the climbers at the Tokyo Games in 2021, when the sport made its Olympic debut.

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Sport climbing has three competitive disciplines: "speed," the sport climbing equivalent of the 100-meter dash, along with "boulder" and "lead," which more closely approximate traditional rock climbing. In Tokyo, the climbers competed in all three disciplines, with a combined score determining the medalists.

Miroslaw broke the world record for women's speed climbing in Tokyo, but there was no signature moment. (The women’s gold medal went to Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret for her victory in the speed/boulder/lead combined event.)

Here at the Paris Games, Miroslaw, smashed the world record twice, and there was a signature moment:

In the finals Wednesday, she clambered up the wall in 6.10 seconds – .08 ahead of China’s Deng Lijuan. She clenched her fists in victory as she descended on her rope and then bathed in cheers when she was awarded gold during the medal ceremony.

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These days, sport climbing is moving almost as fast as Miroslaw does. Initially, the international federation did not even expect to get into the Olympics until 2028, said Fabrizio Rossini, communications director at International Federation of Sport Climbing.

For that, credit goes to the International Olympic Committee for recognizing the type of sport that is drawing robust and raucous crowds to Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue since competition began Monday.

The crowd appears to understand and appreciate the different disciplines. Boulder and lead remained combined. Whether they should be separated for more medals in time for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 is a conversation for another day.

The decision to break out speed as its own event came down to, in part, money, according to Rossini.

The more medals, the more athletes, the greater the costs, he said.

Without checking the balance sheet, the scene Wednesday validated the investment during the head-to-head contests.

American Emma Hunt reached the quarterfinals finals, but she slipped halfway up the wall, and there's no room for error in elite speed climbing. There might be an emerging powerhouse in Poland, with Miroslaw winning the gold and Poland's Aleksandra Kalucka winning bronze. (Kalucka has a twin sister who's almost as good but each country can send no more than two men and two women per discipline.)

The speed show is not over yet.

It will continue Thursday wth the men's quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Sam Watson, an 18-year-old American, already broke the world record Tuesday in qualifications with a time of 4.75 seconds.

And Miroslaw, well, she could as well have been talking about speed climbing at the Olympics on Tuesday when she was asked how fast she can go.

"The sky’s the limit," she said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sport climbing at Paris Olympics drawing buzz after change to format