Toby Roberts secured Great Britain’s 14th gold medal in Paris with a thrilling victory in the boulder and lead climbing event, marking the nation’s first Olympic medal in this sport.
The 19-year-old climber was visibly stunned by his triumph, with his head in his hands as he watched Japanese favorite Sorato Anraku, the world silver medalist, falter on the 15-meter wall, handing Roberts the top spot.
Roberts, who honed his skills on a DIY climbing wall built in his father’s garden, had initially placed third in the boulder section, which featured four challenging routes. He later surged to the provisional lead with a score of 92.1 out of 100.
Anraku needed just 86 points on the lead wall to surpass Roberts, but he slipped, causing a collective gasp from the crowd of 6,000 spectators.
“I am just lost for words,” Roberts told the BBC. “Realizing I had won the gold in that moment was simply incredible.”
With Roberts’ gold medal, climbing, a sport introduced at the Tokyo Games, becomes the 44th different sport in which Great Britain has won an Olympic medal.
Sorato Anraku, 17, claimed silver for Japan, while veteran Jakob Schubert, 33, earned the bronze. British climber Hamish McArthur finished in fifth place.