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Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw made history by becoming the first Olympic champion in speed climbing
Deng Lijuan of the People’s Republic of China took the silver, while Miroslaw’s compatriot Aleksandra Kalucka beat her Indonesian opponent, Rajiah Sallsabillah, to take the bronze.
Miroslaw’s journey to the gold medal was nothing short of historic. In the preliminary rounds leading up to the final, Miroslaw sent a clear message to her competitors. She clocked in at 6.21 seconds, smashing both the world and Olympic records.
But the Polish climber was far from finished. She then went on to smash her own world record on the same day, in her next run, setting a new world best time of 6.06 seconds—a feat that left both audience and her rivals in awe.
Despite her dominance in the qualifiers, the final itself was a nail-biting affair, with Miroslaw facing stiff competition from China’s Deng who finished a mere eight-hundredths of a second behind Miroslaw to get the silver, setting a new personal best and Asian record in the process.
In the race for the bronze, Indonesia’s Rajiah Sallsabillah faced off against Poland’s Aleksandra Kalucka.
Both athletes achieved personal best times in the semifinals, with Kalucka clocking 6.34 seconds and Sallsabillah 6.41 seconds.
Kalucka took an early lead in the final, while Sallsabillah slipped, missing out on a podium finish.
“I was so happy and I couldn’t believe that I just won the bronze medal. I’m super happy and proud of myself that I did it,” said Kalucka.
Meanwhile, American Emma Hunt had a strong start in her quarterfinal race against Sallsabillah but slipped midway, losing her chance to advance.
“It was a close final,” Miroslaw reflected, having narrowly missed the podium at the 2023 World Championships with a bronze medal. “I just focused on myself and my run. I didn’t look on the right side, on the times, just focused on myself.”
The emotion of the moment was palpable as Miroslaw stood atop the podium, listening to her national anthem with tears in her eyes. “It means a lot. It’s like the first time for the speed climbing and also for me here in the discipline, and I have my flag, and I was standing on the podium on the first place hearing the national anthem. It was amazing,” she said, her voice filled with pride, Polish flag draped around her shoulders.