After the boulder final, Brooke Raboutou and Janja Garnbret were only 0.4 points apart and about 24 points ahead of the other finalists. Thanks to a better performance in lead climbing, Garnbret won gold and Raboutou silver. Austrian Jessica Pilz came third.
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The women's final started with a classic run and rump and remained extremely dynamic and explosive throughout the rest of the boulder. Erin McNeice was the first to master this boulder - and did it in a flash. The Australian Oceania Mackenzie followed suit, also with a flash ascent. The atmosphere continued to rise when the Frenchwoman Oriane Bertone started the boulder. She then brought the stage to a boil with the third flash ascent of Boulder 1.
Next on the mats were the two Asians Chaehyun Seo (Boulder 2) and Ai Mori (Boulder 1). But neither of them managed to get a top. McNeice did better on the second boulder, which she danced up effortlessly but carefully. Jessica Pilz was on Boulder 1 at the same time and almost followed up with another flash, but then flew past the top hold with too much momentum. She got the top on the second attempt!
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A huge cheer went up from the audience when the gold medalist from Tokyo stepped onto the mat. However, the audience didn't have much time to cheer, because around 40 seconds later Janja Garnbret arrived at the top, flash!
Lots of tops, lots of flashes. That was the interim conclusion and it raised the question of whether the boulders were too easy to bolt.
When Mori (boulder 2) and Seo (boulder 3) stood together on the mats for the second time, things didn't go any better. Seo lacked the right beta or strength to get to the higher zone on boulder three. Ai Mori, for her part, made it to zone two, but couldn't go any further.
For McNeice, the signs were pointing to "top", at least if you look at her interim results. But McNeice had trouble with Boulder 3 after the first move to the left, and also getting her right hand on the grip. Things went better for Raboutou, who was busy with Boulder number 2 at the same time and topped it on her third attempt.
For a long time, no athlete was able to crack boulder three. Oriane Bertone, who was next to climb the boulder and could count on the support of the home crowd, couldn't change that.
Janja Garnbret also showed weaknesses
An "oohh" went through the audience when Janja Garnbret fell on boulder number two. Yes, it seems that she doesn't flash a boulder today. But Garnbret didn't let that sit for long and got the top hold on the next attempt - with a big smile on her face.
Finally, things looked a little more promising in Boulder 3. Ai Mori wriggled between the two volumes after the powerful first move, then moved to the upper zone in her usual static manner, and climbed the following moves in a controlled manner. The audience stood up and cheered loudly until Ai Mori held the top hold in a controlled manner with two hands. What a spectacle.
Many people asked themselves whether Raboutou, Pilz and Garnbret would also be able to top this boulder? Raboutou was the next to go. And the spell of Boulder 3 seemed to have been broken, she topped B3 on her second attempt.
Jessica Pilz, who has been spoiled for success up to now, had to make do with the lower zone in Boulder 3. This puts her significantly behind Raboutou and Garnbret.
When Brooke Raboutou fell on the last boulder after four unsuccessful attempts to climb to the upper zone, she asked the audience to cheer her on. And that seemed to work. Raboutou held the second white hold and secured the upper zone, but unfortunately not the top.
Jessica Pilz was next to tackle the fourth boulder. She would have had to top the boulder to turn the tables in the duel with Raboutou. At that point, she was in 6th place. Unfortunately, she did not manage to do that, which meant that the gap in points to Raboutou remained high.
Now it was the turn of the gold medal winner from Tokyo. After two attempts to jump to the left, Garnbret grabbed her left middle finger, which seemed to be in pain. After a short break, she tried again, but failed to jump to the left again and slowly became impatient. She tried again and climbed to the upper zone, waited and jumped over to the top hold on the right. There she fell down and hit her back sideways, luckily without injuring herself. But she didn't manage to top it.
The conclusion after the boulder final was easy to make: Boulders 1 and 2 were clearly too easy. Six of eight athletes topped the boulder, three of them flash. But the wheat was separated from the chaff in boulders 3 and 4.
Garnbret and Raboutou went into the lead final round with a solid lead of around 24 points. Places 3-6, including Jessica Pilz, were all pretty much on the same level and had to race for the points in the lead route.
I knew I had to focus on myself and just give it my all. I focused completely on myself and just made sure I climbed as high as possible.
Jessica Pilz
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Garnbret and Raboutou start the lead final with a big lead
So before the start of the lead final it was clear to everyone except Raboutou and Garnbret that they would have to climb very, very high to have a chance of winning a medal. Especially for Pilz and Mori, both lead specialists, there was only one goal: Top!
I knew that Ai Mori could still catch up. She was 20 points behind me, but you know that she can top the lead.
Ai Mori
And it happened as it should. Bertone, Mackenzie and McNeice did not climb so well in terms of points. Ai Mori climbed confidently and, as usual, very statically. For example, the move to the left on the white volumes, which everyone had previously done dynamically, was statically done by Mori and not only that, she continued climbing in a static manner until she reached the top. She struggled briefly because the move did not seem to work statically and then jumped off - but unfortunately she did not manage to hold the top. In any case, she has increased her chances of perhaps still getting a medal.
For Raboutou it was already clear that she would win a medal if she could keep her nerves more or less under control. A hold at the end of the white volume passage was marked on the screens in the stadium. Raboutou had to hold it to catapult herself into first place - and she did. So she had the medal for sure, but which one? Garnbret and Pilz decided that.
Now it was Pilz's turn. It was becoming clear that Pilz would most likely outscore Mori in terms of points. She had to climb to 76th place, which was reasonable for Pilz, but no child's play. But Pilz's specialty is lead climbing and she demonstrated that in Paris. She climbed to 88, just before the top. This meant that Pilz was also guaranteed the medal. It was now up to Garnbret to decide whether Pilz would go home with silver or bronze.
I learned how to deal with the 'Olympic pressure' in Tokyo and was able to use that here.
Janja Garnbret
Garnbret climbed with determination, quickly and without making any mistakes. Even the finger injury from the bouldering round didn't seem to hinder her. She climbed over Raboutou's high point, but not as far as Pilz and Mori. But thanks to the high number of points from the bouldering round, Garnbret once again earned Olympic gold.
I can hardly put it into words. I am incredibly happy and proud of what I have achieved today. And I feel relieved. I qualified for the Olympics a year ago and had to wait a long time until it finally started.
Janja Garnbret
Content partner Olympic Games 2024 in Paris
The coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is presented by Mammut and Unparallel:
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Credits: Cover image IFSC/Drapella/Virt