Two Paris 2024 spots secured at IFSC Speed European Qualifier Rome with wins by Aleksandra Miroslaw and Bassa Mawem
Miroslaw and Mawem came through competitive fields at the Foro Italico, securing quota spots for next summer's Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Sport Climbing
Aleksandra Miroslaw and Bassa Mawem have secured quota spots to next summer's Paris 2024 Olympic Games following respective wins at the IFSC Speed European Qualifier Rome 2023, the first of five Continental Qualifiers for speed climbing.
Although the athletes obtained a nominative quota, National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
The action at the Foro Italico streamed live on Olympics.com on Friday (15 September 2023).
Both Miroslaw and Mawem made their Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, when sport climibing was included in the Olympic programme for the first time. Speed climbing has split off for Paris and will award its own set of medals.
The two-time world champion Miroslaw, the world record holder at 6.25 seconds, clocked a 6.36 to edge Polish teammate Aleksandra Kalucka, who had climbed neck and neck with Miroslaw but stumbled at the finish for a 7.41.
Miroslaw bounced back after finished a disappointing second place at last month's World Championships with a slip in the speed final.
Mawem beat another Polish athlete in Marcin Dzienski in the men's final by the slimmest of margins, 5.28 to 5.34 seconds.
Mawem, 38, is half of the famed French climbing siblings, with brother Mickael Mawem claiming the boulder world title last month at the age of 33.
Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
Aleksandra Miroslaw: 'Tonight was magic'
Miroslaw, 29, finished fourth in Tokyo in sport climbing. She has emerged as the top speed climber since then, and said she shifted her mentality after falling short at Worlds in Bern, Switzerland.
"Tonight was magic," she told the IFSC broadcast. "My road to Paris is through Rome. I'm very excited to be here and be a part of the event. For the first time in a long time I was really able to enjoy the competition. I found a new mindset and I'm really happy for that."
Mawem returns to the Games after a torn bicep knocked him out mid-competition in Tokyo.
"In Tokyo it was really hard when I injured myself," he said in French via an interpreter. "Now I came back and all I wanted [was] to qualify for Paris."
He added: "I'm very happy. I wanted to finish my career at the best competition and now I can."
Italian home hope and 2019 world speed champion Ludovico Fossali was knocked out in the quarterfinals with a slip early in his race, while 2021 world silver medallist Erik Noya of Spain had a false start in his quarter, disqualifying him from the competition.