What a Prominent American Sport Climber Feels About the New Paris Olympic Format
Take in every second of the Tour de France in 2024! With Velo's daily newsletter, receive recaps, analysis, and first-hand perspectives. Join up right now! Brooke Raboutou made history four years ago when she qualified for the sport climbers' Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games.
In a contentious triple-combined competition, Raboutou and twenty other women faced off for a single gold medal determined by the total of their scores from three distinct events: bouldering, lead, and speed.
While there are some similarities between bouldering and lead climbing, such as the emphasis on strength and the technical difficulties of the climbing movement, speed climbing is a whole new sport with a completely different skill set.
There was a lot of criticism directed at the format. In bouldering, Raboutou performed admirably, finishing second to Slovenian Janja Garnbret, who went on to win the gold medal. She eventually placed fifth in the other two disciplines, though, after struggling in them.
Now that Raboutou is back, her goal is to win an Olympic medal in sport climbing in Paris. Climbing competitions take place from August 5–10.
For Raboutou and the other climbers who have their sights set on the Olympics, things are different. Firstly, the format has been drastically altered by the International Olympic Committee: speed climbing will now be a separate medal event in Paris.
Based on the combined results from the bouldering and lead competitions, a second set of medals will be given out.
We chatted with Raboutou about her goals for Paris, the energy at the grandest stage on the planet, and the implications of the new format for the top competitive sport climbers in the world.
Brooke Raboutou will lead America’s medal hopes in Olympic climbing (Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)
OUTSIDE: How do you feel about the new format for Olympic competitions?
I believe this to be a fantastic change, and I know of no one who would disagree. It was a combined format of all three disciplines when I participated in Tokyo. Not only was that physically taxing, but the scoring system was not exactly equitable.
It was determined via rankings. I believe I can state that none of us would have decided to participate in all three activities simultaneously. While certain athletes were benefited more than others by the combined format, speed is often a specialty that belongs on its own medal.
In the future, hopefully, Lead and Boulder will also be individual events, along with a combined one. However, those are still far more comparable fields and need for comparable abilities.
Many of us rivals are experts in just one or two of those areas, not all three. Simply said, I believe it makes a lot more sense for our sport and allows speed climbers to compete in the Olympics and win medals of their own. The combination of Boulder and Lead continues to irritate some individuals.
However, because this is only our second Games, I am appreciative of any assistance. That first split is amazing, and maybe in the future we may get more traction and opportunities for additional medal sets that will enable further specialization. However, I must admit that I really enjoy the combined approach, so hopefully in the future we can have both individual and combined. I am simply trying to be thankful that we are on this large platform and take things one day at a time.
What was the nature of your training before Paris?
I will start with the essentials. Normally, I go climbing for five days a week; occasionally, I go for three days straight with one or two days off. Although it is planned, my training is flexible. I have been working with Chris Danielson, a coach here for four years, and he has been a major contributor to my development. I view him as a great mentor. I undertake strength training with weights for both power and maintenance in addition to my extensive wall climbing training. I then spend a lot of time thinking.
Mental labor, such as imagery or medicine?
both. I first practice meditation for my personal wellbeing, and then I work with sports psychologists to develop visualization techniques that I may utilize in training and competition. That includes visualizing the climbs as well as various cues that help me stay in the present, concentrate on myself, and have a positive mindset.
What is the atmosphere like at the Olympics compared to other climbing competitions such as the World Cup?
It did feel so different in some respects, and I recall having an epiphany moment at the Games. Like, this is absurd. There are just 20 of us on the mat for climbing's inaugural Olympics.So that is when I realized, but we are still only going up. Every day at every other competition, we get to play this same game.
It is more of a perspective shift than a real shift, which is good in my opinion. I prefer to approach it that way. Even though this is a huge and wonderful opportunity, nothing has really changed in the end. We are still out there on the mats doing what we love. Thus, I am not sure. Yes and no, I would answer. It is undoubtedly different, but a lot of that is simply perception and the focus on our sport—there has not been any actual internal or physical change.
Why do you want to compete in climbing?
I enjoy climbing purely for the physical challenge. I find that to be passionate and motivating, and it happens both inside and outside. But due to the mental development it requires, I have fallen deeply in love with competition. Through competition, obstacles, and accomplishment, I have learned a lot about myself that has been incredibly enlightening and meaningful for me.
to compete at a high level, see this planet and its extremes, and have that alone time to think about my performance. Through competitive climbing, I have discovered so much about my own personal growth. In the grand scheme of things, I genuinely appreciate and am grateful for it. On the inside, I adore the way climbing makes me feel, the confidence it gives me in my ability to express myself, and the activity itself.
