Power ranking every single sport at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics

25. Sports Climbing

Sports climbing is basically extreme rock wall climbing. It’s broken down into three events, bouldering, speed, and lead. Let’s start with speed because it’s categorically insane. This was a competition that someone with an adrenaline problem was trying to get his fix. The eliminations happen in one-on-one tournament-style competitions that take as little as six seconds. Athletes are asked to climb a 15-meter wall on a five-degree incline as fast as humanly possible. They take the latter direction very literally. 

Bouldering comes with a little more risk, as climbers are asked (demanded) to do it without ropes. Here, speed isn’t the main component to win. The athletes have to bring as much intelligence as anything to the performance. Climbers are asked to basically do complex math while climbing this wall. This feels like a sport that Mark Zuckerberg does in his spare time.

Lead sport climbing is a complicated combination of the two. While climbers are timed in this segment, getting as high on the wall the main directive. The hand positions become harder as the race goes on, and the angle becomes steeper. 

All three of the competitions are fun to watch. It’s different, but it’s definitely not different in a bad way. These competitions are thrilling and fun. They are devastating for the losers, seeing their gold medal dream end in literally six seconds. One mistake could change everything. This sport is crazy. We love it.