Boulder and Lead, Women

Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret, the reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020, entered Paris 2024 as the overwhelming favorite, and solidified her status as the greatest competition climber of her generation by winning her second consecutive Olympic gold medal. After a near-flawless bouldering performance - scoring 99.6 points in the semifinals -, Garnbret faced challenges in the final, including a finger injury sustained during the fourth boulder problem. Despite this setback, she delivered a strong lead climb, earning 84.1 points and securing a combined total of 168.5 points to capture the gold.

American climber Brooke Raboutou arrived in Paris with strong momentum, having won both events in the Olympic Qualifier Series. She achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first U.S. woman to medal in Olympic sport climbing, scoring 84 points in bouldering and 72 in lead for a combined total of 156.0 points, earning the silver medal.

Austria’s Jessica Pilz claimed the bronze with a total of 147.4 points. Her standout performance came in the lead discipline, where she scored 88.1 points, making up for a lower bouldering score of 59.3.

The reigning lead World champion and a strong medal contender, Ai Mori (JPN) had previously defeated Garnbret in lead events. However, she faced difficulties in the bouldering round, scoring just 39 points. Despite a remarkable lead climb that earned her 96.1 points, Mori finished fourth overall with a combined score of 135.1. Controversy followed when fans argued that the bouldering routes were disadvantageous to shorter climbers like Mori, who struggled to reach the starting holds without a run-and-jump approach.