Utah Man Prepares For Tokyo Olympics With World Cup Climbing Competition
May 27, 2021, 6:44 PM | Updated: Apr 14, 2023, 2:41 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — A World Cup competition for climbers will be held in downtown Salt Lake City over the weekend, bringing out many of the athletes that will compete in the event at the Tokyo Olympics, including one man who was born and raised in Utah.
There are other sports that are easier. For Nathaniel Coleman, though, anything other than climbing might not be as exciting, especially with the Tokyo Olympics less than two months away.
“It’s really starting to sink in,” said Coleman. “It’s kind of what’s in the back of my head all day. Yeah, it’s starting to feel real.”
It’s also why he continues to train hard.
He’s known he would compete in the Olympics for more than a year now, but since COVID-19 postponed the Games last summer, Coleman has had to stay in peak shape.
“Oh, it’s super important, yeah. I feel like everybody after the year hiatus is kind of rusty,” said Coleman.
We caught up with @USAClimbing Nathaniel Coleman during his training. He will compete in @Tokyo2020 Olympics this summer. However, this weekend, he'll be competing in the @ifsclimbing World Cup here in downtown #SaltLakeCity. We're doing a story with him for @KSL5TV tonight at 6. pic.twitter.com/Qgj8Epgb0z
— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) May 27, 2021
World Cup climbing competitions have recently started happening again.
Two of them, back-to-back, are being held right here in Salt Lake City.
“We’ve always had the World Cup in Vail, Colorado, which has felt like home turf,” said Coleman. “But this is where I grew up. I know the community here. I’m really excited to perform for them.”
Coleman is from the Salt Lake City area.
Even though most Utah Olympians compete in Winter Games, Coleman, who was born in Murray, fell in love with climbing early on.
Although he never expected climbing to become an Olympic sport (climbing will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo), he’s proud to carry on the long tradition of Utah Olympians.
“It’s great, man. I mean, people see me at the gym. They tell me anything from congratulations on the last competition, to this whole heart-felt thing about how it means so much to them to have me representing in the Olympics,” he said.
No matter if he wins a medal or not in Tokyo, Coleman knows here in Utah, he’ll always be a champion.
“It means a lot,” he said with a smile. “I feel connected to my community here and I know they’ll support me.”
If you would like to cheer Coleman on, 3,000 fans are allowed at the World Cup competition a day.
You can get tickets at the event, or here online.
If you use the code “ThankYouKSL,” you’ll get $5 off.
