Mawem reacts after the men’s speed qualification of sport climbing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Le Bourget Climbing Venue, near Paris on Aug 6. – Xinhua photo PARIS (Aug 11): In just about five seconds, Bassa Mawem journeyed through time and scaled the towering heights of the Olympics, reaching the end of his illustrious career. As he neared his 40th birthday, just three months away, the French climber took his final “dance” at the Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue on Thursday, receiving thunderous applause from thousands of local fans.
Despite finishing seventh in the men’s speed climbing final with a time of 5.26 seconds, falling short of his medal aspirations, the outcome seemed secondary. In the adrenaline-pumping “100-meter dash” of sport climbing, Mawem, the oldest competitor ascending the 15-meter wall, showed no signs of age diminishing his hunger and desire to succeed.
Inspiring the world The speed climbing final featured a host of young prodigies, including 18-year-old American climber Sam Watson, who broke his own world record in the qualifiers with a new time of 4.74 seconds. Amidst these youthful stars, Mawem stood out not as a relic of the past, but as a symbol of enduring passion.
During a highly competitive qualification round on Tuesday, Mawem surpassed his personal best three times, narrowly securing his place in the final by edging out 22-year-old Ukrainian Yaroslav Tkach by a mere hundredth of a second. “It’s a moment of unbelievable .