Athletes ready to skate, battle and roll

The sheer embodiment of strength, agility and courage, sport climbing has been gaining traction in recent years, not just among extreme outdoor lovers, but also urban fitness enthusiasts, thanks to its Olympic inclusion.

The Paris Games will double the medals on offer for both the men and women by crowning one champion in boulder and lead combined, and awarding another medal in the speed discipline, unlike at the sport's Olympic debut in Tokyo, where only men's and women's all-around champions were crowned after competing in all three disciplines.

The separation of the speed event from the other two, more technical, disciplines suits China's Olympic ambition well, with most of the country's top climbers excelling in the speed race, where athletes scale a 15-meter-high wall against the clock in one-on-one elimination rounds.

"Speed being isolated as a medal event on its own was good news for us, because this is where we traditionally excel, especially on the men's side," said Wang Yunlong, manager of China's sport climbing team, after a recent training session.

Already having three athletes — Long Jinbao and Deng Lijuan in speed and Zhang Yuetong in boulder and lead combined — securing direct Olympic berths via last year's world championships and continental qualification events, Team China is going all out trying to rack up enough points at the series' home leg in Shanghai, and at the final stop in Budapest next month, to earn full qualification quotas in speed — two women and two men — and at least three in the combined discipline, according to Wang.

International climbers, such as former men's world record holder Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia, and his female compatriot, Rajiah Sallsabillah, 2023 Asian Games bronze medalist, are expected to challenge the host's best in the speed event.

In boulder and lead combined, where athletes jump, pull and swing their way up nearly impossible-to-fathom overhangs, world-class masters, including reigning men's Olympic champion Alberto Gines Lopez of Spain and women's Olympic silver medalist Miho Nonaka of Japan, have all signed up to the Shanghai leg with an eye on stamping their Olympic tickets.

Formats: boulder & lead, speed

Total quota of available spots: 30

Number of athletes: 160