Three of the four Team USA climbers advance in their events
Aug 6, 2024, 4:50 PM
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 06: Sam Watson of Team United States celebrates after setting a new world record of 4.75 seconds during the Men's Speed, Qualification Seeding on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue on August 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
PARIS — After day two of Olympic sports climbing in the 2024 Summer Games, three U.S. climbers advanced to the next day, with one climber breaking a world record.
Two women are primed to grab a spot in the finals after finishing in the top five in the bouldering round.
Brooke Raboutou, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, finished in third place in the qualifier round with a score of 83.7 out of 100, including three out of four tops, which means she made it to the top of her wall.
Raboutou’s score puts her in a good position to advance even after Thursday’s lead competition.
“Yeah, I’m happy. I went out determined, and I still think I have room for improvement,” Raboutou told KSL TV. I was definitely distracted at times, but overall, I’m really happy that I was able to be present in the moment.”
Her teammate, Natalia Grossman, also had a good day, coming in fifth place with a score of 69.2. Grossman completed two tops during her round.
“A little jittery on the first climb, but I feel like I started to find my flow,” Grossman said. “Definitely had some moments where my mind started to wander, but on the last climb, I was able to bring it back.”
Two U.S. Women’s Sport Climbers In Top-Five Following Bouldering Round
Meanwhile, the U.S. Men’s team also had good results. In speed climbing, in his first Olympic climb, Sam Watson set a world record that previously belonged to him. He scaled the wall in 4.75 seconds, allowing him to move on to Thursday’s quarterfinal.
“I believe I can be faster, too, which is the best part of it. I just felt like everything came together at once,” Watson said.
Unfortunately, he faced his U.S. teammate, Zach Hammer, who was knocked out of the competition. But Hammer said he is not upset about his loss and enjoys every minute of his Olympic experience.
“I’m happy to say that I did enjoy the whole process,” Hammer said. “Even though I am tearing up right now, that is just because I care so much, but I did really enjoy it.”
All four of the climbers trained with USA Climbing in Salt Lake City to prepare for their events.
36 athletes with ties to Utah will take part in Paris Olympics
