LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Sport climbing competition is coming to an end at the Paris Games and athletes are celebrating the decision to separate the speed discipline from bouldering and lead climbing.

The sport made its Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo and at that time only one medal was awarded for men and women, with the results from all three disciplines combined in an unpopular decision.

It’s as if a “sprinter only competes in the decathlon,” said Austrian climber Jakob Schubert, a specialist in lead climbing and bouldering. It’s “almost like different sports,” he added.

“The decision was really beneficial for everyone,” Schubert said. “These disciplines are just not really connected. So I think it really made sense. And I think every athlete was happy.”

While the speed discipline is more about power and explosiveness – a “mix of climbing and athletics,” as Schubert noted – lead and bouldering are more about technique and problem solving.

Speed ​​climbing requires climbers to climb a 15-meter wall as quickly as possible while competing side-by-side against an opponent. Bouldering requires climbers to complete short, technical routes on a 4-meter wall, overcoming the most “problems” in the fewest number of attempts. Lead climbing requires climbers to climb as high as possible on a 15-meter wall within a time limit of 6 minutes.

The decision to separate the disciplines allowed athletes to focus on their strengths and ultimately increased their overall performance, as evidenced by the high number of world records broken in Paris.

“It definitely makes a big difference,” said American bouldering and lead specialist Colin Duffy. “Speed ​​has been a big part of our training, you just have to learn how to do it and then progress from there. So I think the level of the sport has really increased in the last three years as people start to specialise more.”

Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw won the speed competition in Tokyo three years ago with a world record time, but missed the podium with fourth place after the results were combined with lead and boulder.

“Just because the speed was different doesn’t mean it was easier,” said Miroslaw after winning the speed gold medal in Paris this week.

There are talks of possibly separating bouldering and lead at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, adding a third medal to sport climbing. This would not be as drastic a change as it is now, as the disciplines are more linked to each other than speed, but some climbers have already said they would welcome another medal opportunity.

“We have had World Cups and World Championships in all three disciplines for a long time,” said Schubert. “That’s why I think it’s fine to have a combination, but you still need a medal in each discipline.”

American Sam Watson won the bronze medal in speed in Paris, breaking the world record in the discipline twice in the process, and said top performances at the 2024 Olympics were a reflection of athletes being able to focus on their strengths.

“I think the idea of ​​having our own model has definitely promoted that and made sure that speed and boulder lead have their own positive platforms and I’m really glad that’s the case,” he said.

The sport climbing competition ends on Saturday with the finals in bouldering and lead climbing.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games