Paris 2024: Men’s Lead Semifinal
Following today’s Lead Semifinal, Great Britain are the only nation to qualify two athletes for Men’s Boulder & Lead Final.
The Men’s semi-final round offered an opportunity for Lead specialists to shine. Following a low scoring Boulder round earlier this week the field was left wide open. Great Britain’s Toby Roberts, an all-rounder with two Lead World Cup medals to his name, was marked as one to watch.
The atmosphere was electric at Le Bourget, with another sold-out crowd including climbing legends Alex Honnold and Shawn McColl.
McArthur advances to final
Hamish McArthur started smoothly, displaying a calm and composed demeanour on the wall. There there was a moment of hesitation as he navigated the challenging early holds. However, he quickly found his footing, securing the 10 points, before advancing efficiently to secure 30, ultimately achieving a score of 45.1.
Combining his Lead score with his points earned in his Boulder Semifinal, McArthur finished on 79.3 and eighth place, earning Team GB’s first ever place in a Sport Climbing Olympic finals. His massive effort was bolstered by a huge support crew of 14 members, including friend and GB Climbing athlete Max Milne, cheering him on from the stands.
Roberts inches from third to second
Climbing second-to-last, Roberts took a violent slip low-down on the wall where he placed a heel instead of a toe, leaving the crowd gasping. With his impressive strength he held on and regained composure and knowing that every single move matters.
After taking rest, he hit the 30 points, before moving across and up to take 60 point and place himself in provisional 1st place. A few more moves pushed Roberts to 68.1, a score only Alberto Gines Lopez of Spain would surpass.
Anarku holds whilst Gines Lopez rockets
Overnight leader Sorato Anraku of Japan dominated the qualifying round. Sitting in seventh place overall from his Boulder score alone, Anraku equalled Robert’s Lead score and maintained his top spot.
Defending Olympic champion Gines Lopez’ 72.0-point climb dynoed him from fourteenth to fourth and to a spot in the final. Japan’s Tomoa Narasaki fell from second to tenth and out of the final.
The scores reset for the Final on Friday 9 August at 09:15am which will see both Boulder and Lead rounds on the same day.
Coaches Corner with Michelle Forrest
Michelle Forrest is a GB Climbing Coach, with over 10 of years of international competition coaching experience. She has played a pivotal role in developing the next generation of climbers in Great Britain through her role as GB Junior Coach. In 2023, Michelle was selected as part of the UK Sport Coaching in High-Performance Sport development programme.
"Wow, what a morning for GB Climbing, both Toby and Hamish put in stellar performances as they battled to secure a place in the men’s finals on Friday.
3rd climber out, Hamish climbed smooth and confidently making good route reading decisions and secured an early high point on the route. A trickle section lower down saw several Lead specialists fall unexpectedly, including favourites Tomoa Narasaki and Alex Megos whose dreams of Olympic finals slipped away.
By the time Toby came to climb, Hamish had already secured a top 8 finish. Could we make it a double? We all held our breath as Toby navigated the tricky section, a foot pop, a gasp from the crowd, we may have lost our composure but Toby didn’t. He did what he does best, fought hard and stayed calm to equal Adam Ondra’s high point."
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