Brooke Raboutou, sport climber going to Paris, describes seeing the rapid growth of the sport
U.S. sport climber Brooke Raboutou is reaching new heights after she qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
U.S. sport climber Brooke Raboutou is reaching new heights after she qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It’s been pretty crazy to see the sport evolve,” Raboutou, the first woman to represent the U.S. in sport climbing when she competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games, said in an interview Wednesday. “I was one of the first Olympians back in 2020. There was only 20 of us.
“Since then, we’ve seen a lot of growth in the sport, more participation, more gyms pop up, more funding for the athletes, and it’s really cool to see that growth and see our sport get to be loved by so many,” she added.
Sport climbing made its first Olympic appearance at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Although it was not highly publicized, it became an instant hit with the public, leading to its official debut at the Tokyo Games.
Sport climbing takes place in three formats at the Olympics: bouldering, speed and lead. In bouldering, athletes climb high walls without ropes in a limited period of time and in the fewest attempts.
Rating: 5