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."
Related Content
Olympics News
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been a historic occasion for British climbing, marking a significant milestone in the sport's journey.
Performance News
Bursting onto the scene in 2024, 20-year-old Erin McNeice has cemented herself as one of the world’s best climbers. Qualifying for the finals in seventh, McNeice proved she was a force to be reckoned with.
Olympics News
In a thrilling conclusion to the Men's Sport Climbing finals at Paris 2024, Great Britain's Toby Roberts secured a sensational gold medal while Hamish McArthur takes an emotional fifth.
Performance News
Erin McNeice qualifies for Olympic final whilst Thompson-Smith finishes with a top-ten Lead performance.
Performance News
Erin McNeice and Molly Thompson-Smith put their first points on the scoreboard at Paris 2024, as the Women's Boulder Semifinal took place at Le Bourget yesterday, part of the Boulder & Lead event.
Performance News
The Men's Boulder Semifinal at Paris 2024 got underway today on the walls of Le Bourget, with four fresh boulders ready to be tackled. Today marked a moment for the history books as Great Britain’s Hamish McArthur and Toby Roberts made their Olympic debuts. They are the first men to represent Great Britain in Sport Climbing at the Olympic Games.
Performance News
Get ready for wall-to-wall action as the sport climbing competition at Paris 2024 kicks-off today with four Olympic debutants taking to the wall for Great Britain.
Indoor Climbing Articles
In a matter of days, 40 climbers from all around the globe will battle it out across three climbing disciplines of speed, lead and bouldering on the world's most watched wall of the year. Four British climbers will be among them representing Great Britain in Sport Climbing at Paris 2024 Olympic games. But how and where can you watch all the action? We have all the answers.
Olympics
With four GB Climbing athletes heading across the channel for the Olympic boulder and lead competitions starting Monday 5 August, not only are they bringing their A-game in terms of performance but, as part of the BMC, the whole team is supporting Paris 2024 in its bid to be the ‘greenest ever Games’.
Olympics News
The 2024 Olympic Games are underway, and the nation's eyes are firmly on Paris and all the Team GB athletes. As Sport Climbing makes its second-ever appearance at the Olympic Games, we get to witness a new chapter in history as four climbers step out onto the mats to represent Great Britain.
Olympics Articles
A brief history of competition climbing
Olympics News
Four sport climbers will make their Olympic Games debuts this summer for Team GB as the British Olympic Association (BOA) name the team that will compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Performance News
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) celebrates the historic inclusion of Paraclimbing in the LA28 Paralympic Sport Program. This landmark decision represents a significant milestone for the sport, reflecting its growing popularity globally.
Olympics News
The culmination of the Olympic Qualifying Series in Budapest saw GB Climbing athletes Erin McNeice, Hamish McArthur, and Molly Thompson-Smith qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics Games.
Olympics News
The Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) is reaching its finale at the Ludovika Campus in Budapest this week. A total of 48 top climbers from around the globe will vie for their last chance to secure a spot in the Boulder & Lead event for Paris 2024.
Olympics Articles
GB Climbing's Toby Roberts talks training, mindset, hopes and fears for his first Olympic Games this summer.
Olympics News
Erin McNeice and Hamish McArthur put on a world-class show in the finals of Boulder & Lead competition at the Olympic Qualifier Series Shanghai, on Sunday (18 May).
Performance
The third day of the Olympic Qualifying Series (OQS) featured the men’s and women’s Boulder & Lead semi-finals, selecting the top-eight athletes to compete in the final.
Performance
Part one of the Olympic Qualifying Series in Shanghai, China, began today with the Boulder qualifying round. 46 men and 48 women are contesting the combined Boulder and Lead event at the city’s Urban Park over a four-day event on the Huangpu riverside, all in a bid to secure coveted spots at Paris 2024.
Performance News
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) can today announce the lineup that will compete in Shanghai, China to represent the GB Climbing team at the first event of the Olympic Qualifying Series from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 May 2024.
Performance News
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is proud to reaffirm our commitment to clean sport by backing UK Anti-Doping’s (UKAD’s) Clean Sport Week campaign from 13 - 17 May.
Olympics News
GB Climbing’s Toby Roberts rounded off a formidable season with a victory at the 2023 European Boulder and Lead Olympic Qualifier event.
Performance
Read the BMC statement following the Competition Climbing Performance Group (CCPG) report.
Performance News
Elections for the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Athletes’ Commission took place at the 2021 IFSC Climbing World Championships in Moscow, Russia, with Olympian Shauna Coxsey MBE, of Great Britain, elected as President.
Olympics Articles
GB Climbing works alongside promising young climbers to help create the stars of tomorrow. But how to do this? Niall Grimes talks to Tim Cunnington, the Coach Development Manager at GB Climbing to find out more about the thinking behind the process.
Performance
It’s been an exhilarating three days watching Sport Climbing’s debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the fourth and final day was not one to disappoint either. Here's our report of the Women's Sport Climbing Final.
Performance News
Summary of Day 3 of the Sport Climbing Men's Finals at Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Performance News
Shauna Coxsey becomes the first climbing Olympian of Great Britain. Highlights of the second day of Sport Climbing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the women's qualification round.
News
Highlights of first day of Sport Climbing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the men's qualification round.
Olympics Articles
Did you know that alpinism used to be an Olympic sport? With sport climbing on the verge of making its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, we bring you six fascinating facts about the history of climbing, competing and the Olympics.
Performance News
The International Olympic Committee officially confirmed that Sport Climbing has been included on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Performance News
Shauna Coxsey became the first sport climber selected to represent Team GB at the Olympic Games.
Performance News
GB Climbing’s Shauna Coxsey has qualified for a Tokyo 2020 quota place at the Combined Event.