Brooke Raboutou has become the first American climber to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in the sport.
Competition climbing is going to make its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and an athlete from right here in Colorado has become the first American to qualify for the games. She is the seventh American, so far, in any sport to qualify for the 2020 Olympic games.
Brooke Raboutou, an 18-year-old climber from Boulder, secured her spot at the recent Federation of Sports Climbing World Championships competition in Hachioji, Japan. An accomplished climber since she was very young, Raboutou began competing at the age of seven and began setting records in the sport by age eight. Currently a full-time college student, she studies at the University of San Diego.
She was the youngest climber ever to climb a 5.14b., an accomplishment she earned in 2012 at the age of 11. Adding to her never-ending list of accomplishments, Raboutou also holds the tile of 2016 combined youth Champion, combined youth Pan American Champion 2017, and 2018 lead youth World Champion.
In Hachioji, Raboutou placed sixth in the speed competition, 10th in bouldering, and seventh in lead climbing, for an overall score of ninth place, securing her spot in Tokyo.
Competition climbing was officially declared an Olympic sport in 2016, and 2020 will be the first time it appears on the Olympic stage. Forty athletes will compete—20 men and 20 women from across the world. Three other Americans have the chance to accompany Raboutou to the games, and if they qualify, there will be sports for one other female athlete and two male athletes. Two competitions remain to determine who else will represent the U.S. in this sport.
We cannot wait to see what this impressive Colorado athlete does at the 2020 Olympics!
What do you think about this Colorado native making her way to the Olympics? Are you excited to see competition climbing as an Olympic event? Let us know in the comments.