Don’t blink: Everything you need to know about the lightning-quick world of speed climbing

Competition format for speed climbing at Paris 2024

Speed climbing competitions will take place over multiple days at Paris 2024. The first phase of the event is the qualification round.

Speed climbers will get one attempt to climb each lane during the qualification round. Their fastest time counts towards the qualification ranking. The ranking will be used to seed climbers for the first phase of the elimination rounds.

The elimination rounds consist of head-to-head single elimination races. With no second run to rely on, mistakes will be critical during this part of the competition.

The first elimination round features seven head-to-head races. The winner of each race advances to the quarterfinals, along with the “lucky loser.” The “lucky loser” is the losing climber with the fastest time.

There are no second chances available once the quarterfinals begin. Athletes will need to win three head-to-head matchups if they want to claim the gold medal.

A false start will be fatal to an athlete’s chance of advancing further in the competition, which means climbers will need to take extra care at the start of each race.

The cutthroat nature of the competition format will create a tense, but exciting atmosphere around speed climbing at Paris 2024.