Six of the eight finalists in the men’s combined boulder and lead climbing competition at the Paris Olympics were aged 22 or under.
There were tears of joy for British 19-year-old Toby Roberts, who won gold, and of disappointment for runner-up Sorato Anraku from Japan, aged just 17.
All of the athletes demonstrated supreme skill and resilience, their shoulder sinews on show as they gripped their way carefully across the boulder wall and ascended with dexterity on the lead climb.
It has to be said — this is a sport for anyone who appreciates a twink.
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Climbing continues to build a reputation as being very queer-friendly, with out Aussie climber Campbell Harrison having represented the community with pride at the elite level for several years.
Harrison, popular with his fellow climbers, struggled with the high standard in the boulder semifinal — he shared a kiss with boyfriend Justin afterwards — but put in a stronger display in the lead semi, exiting the competition with his head held high.
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Thursday’s final of the speed discipline had seen the USA’s Sam Watson, aged 18, set a world record in the bronze-medal match.
The Texan put aside the disappointment of just missing out on the final and flew up the 15m-high wall at Le Bourget in a stunning time of just 4.74 seconds.
Those topping the rankings tend towards the younger side — the Paris 2024 website states that 39% of sport climbers are aged 18 or under.
Anraku’s official Games profile even mentions his “unconventional diet,” adding: “Does not eat like a typical athlete and is a connoisseur of junk food, ramen and fried chicken. Not a big fan of vegetables.”
With fierce willpower to go with his fast metabolism, the Japanese climber looked set to take victory Friday but surprisingly lost his grip on the lead wall with the points target in sight.
That sent the gold medal to a stunned Roberts, who is coached by his dad and had lots of family members in the 6,000-strong crowd.
The teenager said afterwards that he would be going out on the town in Paris to celebrate with them — and intended to get “very drunk.”
Austria’s Jakob Schubert took third place. The old man of the podium at 33, he has back-to-back Olympic bronzes following on from the inaugural competition in Tokyo, which was a combination of boulder, lead and speed.
The splitting off of the latter discipline didn’t work out so well for reigning champion Alberto Gines Lopez, however. The Spaniard finished down in seventh, one place ahead of another 21-year-old, the tall Frenchman, Paul Jenft.
The USA’s Colin Duffy and Team GB’s Hamish McArthur were fourth and fifth respectively, All of the youthful climbing talent appear to be embracing the visibility that social media provides, expressing themselves on Instagram accounts that are attracting thousands of followers — and including many posts of the shirtless variety.
It brings to mind Harrison’s riposte to the homophobic detractors who hate-bombed a Pride Month post from the official Olympics Insta that celebrated his post-qualification smooch with Justin. “We’re hotter than they are!” he clapped back.
Those chasing a little more male cuteness were certainly well served by the Paris climbing competitions, which turned out to be a showcase for the “Spider twinks” bringing more gay fans to this fresh-faced, dynamic young sport.
