PARIS, France — Sam Watson further stamped his name into speed climbing history by breaking his world record for the second time at the Paris Olympics.
The 18-year-old Watson beat Reza Alipour to win the men's speed climbing small final and earn a bronze medal. Watson's winning time of 4.74 seconds set a world record, breaking the 4.75-second record he set on Tuesday in an elimination race.
Watson's hopes of gold ended with a loss to China's Wu Peng in the semifinals. Veddriq Leonardo won the big final to win the gold medal, leaving Peng with silver.
“I was just flying and doing my thing. I think nothing really changed between any of my laps,” Watson said to the Associated Press. “Just a couple millimeters of an error is really the name of the game in the sport. So no really regrets. I don’t think the pressure really got to me or anything like that. I think I just made a tiny little stumble.”
Watson's previous world record time of 4.75 seconds was set in an elimination race win over fellow U.S. competitor Zach Hammer. Watson initially set the record in April at the IFSC Climbing World Cup.
Speed sport climbing was offered at the Olympics for the first time during the Paris Games. Two climbers compete in each race to reach the top of a 15-meter wall the fastest. The three disciplines of sport climbing, speed, bouldering, and lead, are offered in a combined event that began at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
