In the men’s speed event, Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia won the gold medal—the first in climbing, the first for his nation at Paris 2024, and the first in a sport other than badminton. In a quick and steady finals series that produced sub-5 races in five of the eight races, Wu Peng of China took silver and Sam Watson of the USA took bronze.
In the beginning, Wu recorded a 4.99(5) second, and Italian world champion Matteo Zurloni a 4.99(7) second, with just 0.002 in it. Wu Peng also had to defeat Watson, the current world record holder. Then, he set up the championship race with Veddriq Leonardo, who defeated Reza Alipour Shenazandifard of Iran and Bassa Mawem of France first.
Veddriq Leonardo Celebrates First Gold
A day after Aleksandra Miroslaw won gold in women’s speed, Leonardo joined the Polish climber in making Olympic history by beating Wu Peng of China in the final. It was thought that the United States’ Sam Watson would be the event’s favorite, but a little mistake in his semi-final saw him go to the tiny final to compete for bronze.
Alipour Shenazandifard forced Veddriq Leonardo to make a PB of 4.48 seconds in the semi-final match. Whereas, the Iranian also recorded a PB of 4.84 seconds. Leonardo’s personal best didn’t last long though, as Wu set his record of 4.77 seconds in yet another close race. And Veddriq Leonardo needed another, this time of 4.75 seconds, to win the gold.
“I was very excited, and there was also anxiety. My heart raced, but I stayed focused and finished it.” Veddriq Leonardo stated on his Instagram account. Leonardo has other objectives regarding the near future: “Now I’m going back to Indonesia and focusing on training. We train together in Indonesia, focusing on the next competitions and breaking the world record. There will be a welcoming party. It is going to be amazing for me.”
Mawem Retires After Quarterfinal Loss
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Watson had to gather himself before taking on Alipour Shenazandifard in the bronze tiny final after his defeat in the semi-finals. Also, the American kept his composure well as he won an Olympic medal and once again dropped his world record to 4.84 seconds. Watson defeated Julian David of New Zealand in the quarterfinals en route to the bronze. Alipour Shenazandifard defeated Amir Maimuratov of Kazakhstan en route to the minor final.
With his quarterfinal loss to gold medallist Veddriq Leonardo, Bassa Mawem announced his retirement from racing to focus on other endeavours, effectively ending his competitive career. Mawem said, “Vacation. We’ll go on vacation and spend quality time with family because to have a career in the first place, it takes up a lot of time.” when discussing his life after his climb.
Last night, Erin McNeice of Great Britain qualified for the women’s bouldering and lead final by finishing seventh. That will take place on Saturday, with the men’s boulder and lead finals taking place on Friday morning. Toby Roberts and Hamish McArthur from Team GB will both be fighting for a medal.
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