LE BOURGET, France — Aleksandra Miroslaw, a Polish sport climber with her hair pulled in a ponytail on Wednesday, blazed up the speed climbing wall and did more than win a gold medal.
She officially introduced the astonishing speed of sport to the Olympics, with the shiny medal validation for her skill.
Yes, sport climbing made its debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021, but you probably didn’t hear too much about the stunning speed because of a strange competitive format.
Imagine Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter in Olympic history, having been required to do more than run the 100 meters to medal. But instead, to have required him win an event that combined times from the 100, the 1,500 and, maybe, the steeplechase.
That’s essentially what was required for the climbers at the Tokyo Games in 2021, when the sport made its Olympic debut.
Here at the Paris Games, Miroslaw, smashed the world record twice, and there was a signature moment:
In the finals Wednesday, she clambered up the wall in 6.10 seconds – .08 ahead of China’s Deng Lijuan. She clenched her fists in victory as she descended on her rope and then bathed in cheers when she was awarded gold during the medal ceremony.
