Sport climbing is one of the newest sports on the Olympic program, having made its debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The sport has already been approved for both Paris 2024 and LA 2028, so Olympic viewers can expect to get more familiar with it in the years to come.
Get up to speed below on what to know as sport climbing prepares for its second appearance at the Olympic Games.
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Which country has won the most Olympic medals in sport climbing?
Japan won two medals — a silver and a bronze in the women's combined event — during sport climbing's Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020. No other country won more than one medal.
How many Olympic medals has Team USA won in sport climbing?
Nathaniel Coleman won a silver medal in the men's combined event at Tokyo 2020, giving the United States its first and only sport climbing Olympic medal thus far.
What happened at Tokyo 2020 in Olympic sport climbing?
Sport climbing was added to the Olympic program ahead of Tokyo 2020, though the Games were delayed a year until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first-ever appearance of sport climbing featured all three core disciplines — speed, bouldering and lead — combined into one competition. It was a controversial move considering that speed climbing requires a much different skillset than bouldering and lead, which are both more technical. All three disciplines are generally contested separately. As a result, a well-rounded skillset was required for athletes to win gold in Tokyo.
Alberto Gines Lopez, an 18-year-old from Spain, won the men's combined event, while American Nathaniel Coleman emerged with a surprise silver medal. Coleman nearly missed the final altogether but grabbed the eighth and final spot in the qualification round, then won the bouldering portion of the final to set himself up for a podium finish.
SEE MORE: Alberto Gines Lopez wins historic men's sport climbing gold
Slovenia's Janja Garnbret, the heavy favorite, won the first-ever gold medal in women's sport climbing, while a pair of Japanese climbers earned silver and bronze at their home Olympics. Although she didn't finish on the podium due to the nature of the combined event, Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw set a world record in speed climbing after ascending the wall in 6.84 seconds during the final.
Men's Combined Event
🥇: Alberto Gines Lopez (ESP)
🥈: Nathaniel Coleman (USA)
🥉: Jakob Schubert (AUT)
Women's Combined Event
🥇: Janja Garnbret (SLO)
🥈: Nonaka Miho (JPN)
🥉: Noguchi Akiyo (JPN)
SEE MORE: Slovenia's Garnbret wins first ever sport climbing gold