Aleksandra Mirosław was stood poised at the base of a 15-meter climbing wall, waiting for three pips of a buzzer to signal the start of her race. Six seconds later, she was an Olympic champion.
And not just any Olympic champion; Mirosław became the first-ever gold medalist in the sport of speed climbing on Wednesday, defeating China’s Deng Lijuan in the final.
“A long story short, it’s like a dream come true moment,” she said. “It’s as simple as that. … It’s the first [gold medal] in history, so it’s really awesome. I’m really happy and really proud of myself. It will be with me forever.”
When climbing made its Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago, it included three disciplines: lead, bouldering and speed. The format has changed in Paris, with speed climbing now awarded its own set of medals.
That’s good news for an athlete like Mirosław. Despite her superiority in speed climbing, setting a world record in the final, she finished fourth in Tokyo, just outside of the medals.
But the temporary wall erected in the Parisian suburb of Le Bourget has been her moment in the sun, an opportunity to showcase her agility and dexterity in a standalone event.
“I never have been specialized in boulder or lead, I was always a speed climber,” said Mirosław, who won Poland’s first gold medal of the Paris Olympics.
“So it’s a big privilege to be here and have the opportunity to compete in my discipline. But on the other hand, it doesn’t mean it’s easier. It’s much harder, I would say.”
Harder because now she is going up against the fastest climbers in the world, all of whom are dedicated to the craft of scaling a wall as quickly as possible.