The most recent Olympic climbing lineup competed at Paris 2024, where athletes raced in speed climbing or competed in a combined bouldering and lead event. Standout names included Janja Garnbret, Brooke Raboutou, Toby Roberts, and speed champion Aleksandra Miroslaw.
The next Olympic sport climbing roster has not been selected, so the Paris competitors are the latest confirmed Olympic lineup. Here’s who earned medals, which athletes drew attention, how the events work, and what is known about climbing at Los Angeles 2028.
Who is climbing in the olympics at Paris 2024?
At Paris 2024, 68 athletes competed in sport climbing. The program had separate speed events for men and women, plus combined bouldering and lead events for men and women. That format meant some climbers focused on explosive races up a standardized wall, while others competed across two technical disciplines.
The Paris roster included established world-class athletes and younger climbers making their Olympic debuts. Among the best-known were Slovenian all-rounder Janja Garnbret, American Brooke Raboutou, Austrian Jakob Schubert, Japanese teenager Sorato Anraku, and Polish speed specialist Aleksandra Miroslaw.
There is no confirmed roster yet for Los Angeles 2028. Olympic qualifying and selection will determine which climbers compete there, so Paris 2024 medalists and participants are the most recent confirmed names—not a preview of a final LA team.
Paris 2024 Olympic climbing medalists
The medal results offer the clearest answer if you want to know which climbers reached the Olympic podium. Paris crowned champions in four events: men’s and women’s speed, and men’s and women’s combined bouldering and lead.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | What stood out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s combined | Janja Garnbret, Slovenia | Brooke Raboutou, United States | Jessica Pilz, Austria | Garnbret’s control across both disciplines |
| Men’s combined | Toby Roberts, Great Britain | Sorato Anraku, Japan | Jakob Schubert, Austria | Roberts’ strong performance under pressure |
| Women’s speed | Aleksandra Miroslaw, Poland | Aleksandra Kalucka, Poland | Rajiah Sallsabillah, Indonesia | Miroslaw set a world record in the event |
| Men’s speed | Veddriq Leonardo, Indonesia | Wu Peng, China | Sam Watson, United States | Watson set a world record during the competition |
The combined medals went to climbers who could adapt to very different problems. Speed medals rewarded quick, repeatable movement on the same route. These are separate skill sets, which is why success in one event does not automatically predict success in the other.
Names to know in bouldering and lead climbing
Paris 2024 combined bouldering and lead climbing into one medal event per gender. Athletes had to earn points in both disciplines, so a strong specialist still needed a solid result in the other half of the competition.
Women’s combined competitors
Janja Garnbret of Slovenia won gold. She is known for high-level results in both bouldering and lead, and her Paris performance showed why an all-around climber can be so difficult to beat. American Brooke Raboutou took silver, while Austria’s Jessica Pilz earned bronze.
Other notable women in the field included Japan’s Ai Mori, a leading specialist in technical lead routes, and American Natalia Grossman, who has achieved top-level results in bouldering. France’s Oriane Bertone and South Korea’s Seo Chaehyun also brought significant international competition experience.
Men’s combined competitors
Great Britain’s Toby Roberts won gold, Japan’s Sorato Anraku won silver, and Austria’s Jakob Schubert took bronze. Roberts was among the younger athletes in the field, while Schubert arrived as a veteran with major championship experience.
Other familiar names included Japan’s Tomoa Narasaki, Czech climber Adam Ondra, and American Colin Duffy. Each brought a different mix of strength, movement skill, and competition experience. Their participation also showed the depth of international climbing beyond the eventual medalists.
Names to know in Olympic speed climbing
Speed climbing is a head-to-head race on a fixed, standardized route. Athletes use the same holds and wall layout, and the fastest climber to reach the top wins the race. Unlike bouldering and lead, speed emphasizes explosive power, precise foot placement, and consistent timing.
Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw won the women’s event, with compatriot Aleksandra Kalucka in second and Indonesia’s Rajiah Sallsabillah in third. Miroslaw also set a world record during the competition. Her result made her the leading name in women’s Olympic speed climbing at Paris.
In the men’s event, Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo took gold, China’s Wu Peng earned silver, and American Sam Watson won bronze. Watson set a world record during the event, adding an exceptional moment to a competition decided by fractions of a second.
Other competitors included France’s Bassa Mawem, who had appeared at the Tokyo Games, and American Emma Hunt in the women’s event. Speed specialists tend to train the exact route repeatedly. A small slip or timing error can decide a race, even for an athlete capable of reaching the top extremely quickly.
How the Olympic climbing events work
The event format changed between Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Tokyo combined speed, bouldering, and lead into a single event for each gender. Paris separated speed from the combined boulder-and-lead events, creating four medal events and giving speed specialists their own podium.
| Discipline | What the athlete does | What determines the result | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bouldering | Climbs short, difficult routes called problems, usually without a rope | Points for reaching marked holds and completing problems, with attempts affecting the score | Power, problem-solving, and precise movement |
| Lead climbing | Climbs a tall route while attaching a rope to protection points | How high the athlete climbs before falling or running out of time | Endurance, pacing, and efficient technique |
| Speed climbing | Races another athlete up a standardized wall | Time, with a false start or fall able to end a run | Explosive power and repeatable footwork |
In Paris, bouldering and lead scores were combined to decide the combined event medals. The athletes did not earn separate Olympic medals for each of those disciplines. Speed climbing, by contrast, had its own event and medal for each gender.
Why the combined event rewards versatility
Bouldering tests an athlete’s ability to solve short, complex sequences. A climber may need to make a powerful jump, balance on tiny footholds, or find an unusual body position. There is usually no rope, and the route is short enough that each movement can carry a large scoring consequence.
Lead climbing is a different test. The wall is taller, the route is longer, and climbers clip their rope into protection points as they ascend. The goal is to reach the highest hold possible before falling or the time limit expires. Efficient movement matters because wasted effort can leave a climber without enough strength to finish.
Combining the two disciplines rewards athletes who can manage both explosive moves and sustained effort. A bouldering specialist cannot rely only on power, and a lead specialist cannot ignore the short, technical problems. This balance helps explain why athletes such as Garnbret, Roberts, and Schubert were strong overall contenders.
How Paris qualification worked—and what LA 2028 means
Olympic climbing places are earned through a qualification system rather than awarded simply because an athlete is well known. The process uses designated international competitions and country limits, with eligibility depending on the event and Olympic rules for that edition. A world ranking or prior medal alone does not guarantee a place.
That distinction matters if you are following a favorite climber. An athlete can be among the world’s best and still miss the Olympics because the qualifying route is narrow, a country has already reached its quota, or the athlete does not secure a place at the required event.
Sport climbing is on the Los Angeles 2028 program, with bouldering, lead, and speed scheduled as separate events. The exact athletes will be determined through the qualification process closer to the Games. Until those places are earned and selections are finalized, any list of future Olympic climbers should be treated as speculation.
For updates, look for official qualification announcements from the relevant Olympic and climbing organizations. Check whether an announcement describes an athlete earning a quota place, a country receiving a place, or a national team making its final selection. Those terms describe different steps, and a quota place does not always mean a named climber has been confirmed.
How to follow the next Olympic climbing lineup
If you want to track who may compete next, follow the sport in stages rather than relying on a single prediction list. First, watch international events to see which athletes are in form. Then check the Olympic qualification rules and results as they are published. Finally, confirm each country’s selected team once its process is complete.
- Learn the event type. Check whether an athlete is competing in speed, bouldering, lead, or more than one discipline. A speed specialist’s results do not directly compare with a combined-event climber’s results.
- Follow qualification, not just rankings. Rankings can show competitive form, but Olympic places depend on the official qualification system and national limits.
- Distinguish a quota from a confirmed athlete. A country may earn the right to enter a climber before naming the athlete who will use that place.
- Check final team announcements. National selection can come after the qualifying event, so wait for the official roster before treating an athlete as confirmed.
One common misconception is that every Olympic climber must be an expert in all three disciplines. That was not the Paris format: speed had a separate event, while only bouldering and lead were combined. Knowing the event structure makes athlete comparisons much more meaningful.
What makes an Olympic climber worth watching?
For the combined event, pay attention to how an athlete handles both styles. A climber may look dominant on a boulder but lose ground if the lead route exposes a weakness in endurance or pacing. Watch whether the athlete can make efficient decisions rather than simply attempting the most dramatic moves.
In speed, small details are easier to see. Athletes repeat a fixed sequence, so a clean start, accurate foot placements, and smooth movement all matter. A fast time is impressive, but consistency across rounds is crucial because one mistake can end a medal run.
Also notice how athletes respond after a setback. Competition climbing requires quick adjustments between attempts and events. A climber who stays composed can recover from a missed move or a disappointing score, while a single error can change the standings dramatically.
When reading results, compare athletes within the same event and format. A combined-event score is not a direct measure of speed ability, and an excellent speed time does not show how an athlete would perform on a long lead route. Keeping those distinctions clear makes it easier to understand both the results and the athletes’ strengths.
The latest confirmed Olympic climbing lineup competed at Paris 2024. Janja Garnbret, Toby Roberts, Aleksandra Miroslaw, and Veddriq Leonardo were among its champions, while the event format separated speed from combined bouldering and lead.
Los Angeles 2028 will feature all three disciplines, but its climbers have not yet been selected. For now, use the Paris medalists as a guide to the sport’s leading names, then follow official qualification results and team announcements for the next roster.
Remember to compare athletes within the same event: speed, bouldering, and lead reward different skills. That simple distinction makes Olympic climbing results much easier to follow.