Women’s Combined Climbing: Janja Garnbret Wins 2024 Olympic Gold Medal
2024 Olympics Women’s Combined Climbing [Boulder & Lead]
A whole week of sport climbing events have come to an end with a spectacular finish to the Olympic Games as we crown the last of the 12 Olympic medals up for grabs in sport climbing. The crowd cheered with excitement as they saw history being made in the Women’s Combined Climbing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
On August 10th, the top eight finalists in women’s combined faced off in both boulder and lead rounds where they were challenged by various technical problems that tested their strength, ability, and determination. It was an emotional night as we saw some athletes falter and others push through to receive the first-ever women’s combined olympic medals. Find out who took to the podium at the 2024 Paris Olympic Women’s Combined Climbing final below.
Gold Medalist: Janja Garnbret
Coming into the Paris Olympics, the pressure was immense for the Slovenian climber Janja Garnbret. She had already made history by winning the first-ever gold medal in sport climbing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in a combined format that featured three disciplines: speed climbing, lead climbing, and bouldering. This year’s Olympic Games combined format only featured lead climbing and bouldering, but the Slovenian star was still considered the favorite to win the women’s combined climbing event.
Boulder Round
Garnbret faced a series of complex problems that tested her technical prowess and mental fortitude. She came out with her usual bang when she topped, or finished the first boulder problem, in the first attempt. The Slovenian climber was able to top the first, second, and third problem, but failed to top the fourth bouldering problem and even ended the round with a slight injury to her finger.
She ended the boulder round with a total score of 84.4 points, but only 0.4 points lead against America’s Brooke Raboutou. Some tough competition and exceptional climbing by all the female athletes made for a close competition moving into the lead round.
Lead Round
The lead climbing round, known for its endurance and strategic climbing, was where Garnbret truly shined. Her meticulous preparation and deep understanding of the sport were evident as she ascended the wall with grace and power. Each move was calculated, each hold secured with confidence.
The atmosphere the event center grew with excitement as she neared the hold that would separate her from the rest of the athletes and secure her the gold medal. As she slipped on the 46th hold she didn’t realize that she had won until she saw the leader board. It turned into an emotional evening as other competitors joined her in celebration as she made Olympic history as being a two-time Gold medalist in sport climbing, ultimately cementing her name in history as one of the greatest climbers of all time.
Janja Garnbret finished the lead round with a score of 84.1 points and a combined boulder and lead score of 168.5 points.
Silver Medalist: Brooke Raboutou
United States was represented by Brooke Raboutou who took home the silver medal in women’s combined climbing. She put up a solid performance in both boulder and lead rounds, setting her apart from her fellow competitors in the Women’s Combined Climbing final.
Brooke ended the boulder round in a close battle with Janja Garnbret at 84 points. Going into the lead round, it was between her and the former gold medalist. Brooke was able to work through technical problems with ease and show strong precision as she climbed the lead route. She ultimately ended the lead round by reaching the 42nd hold, gaining 72 points. Ending the evening with a total score of 156.0 points.
Brooke fell short of taking home the gold medal, but was over joyed to take to the podium and receive the first-ever women’s combined climbing silver medal.
Bronze Medalist: Jessica “Jessy” Pilz
Austria’s Jessica Pilz joined Garnbret and Raboutou on the podium in third place with the bronze medal. Pilz had ended the boulder round of the women’s combined climbing final with a score of 59.3 points, which was mere hundreths of a score difference between four of the athletes.
Jessica is well-known for her prowess in lead climbing. The lead round ended up being where Pilz shined as she was fell just short of the 47th hold, which allowed her to secure 88.1 points. A combined total score of 147.4 points, which put her 12.3 points ahead of fourth place finisher Japan’s Ai Mori.
Men’s Combined Climbing Final
Yesterday, August 9th, there was the 2024 Paris Olympics Men’s Combined [Boulder & Lead] Final where eight of the strongest, most determined, and skilled climbers from around the world participated in the boulder and lead final rounds to compete for Olympic gold. For more information pertaining to the results of that event, check it our featured article on the event here.
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For more information pertaining to the 2024 Paris Olympic Women’s Combined Climbing results, location, videos, images, etc., please visit the main event page. If you are interested in more information pertaining to speed climbing, please check out the 2024 Paris Olympics Speed Climbing event page.