Paris Olympics: USA climber Sam Watson clinches bronze with another world record

Sean Walker, KSL.com

PARIS, France — Just a fewer days aft breaking his ain world grounds of 4.75 seconds successful an elimination climb, University of Utah student Sam Watson earned his first Olympic medal.

The 18-year-old climber edged his ain world grounds (again) successful 4.74 seconds to unafraid nan bronze badge Thursday successful Le Bourget, France.

Earlier Thursday successful a quarterfinal, Watson hit retired New Zealand’s Julian David successful 5.03 seconds up nan wall. He mislaid by 0.08 seconds to China’s Wu Peng successful nan semifinals, sending him to nan mini last — fundamentally nan bronze-medal lucifer — against Iran’s Reza Alipour Shenazandifard.

Wu earned metallic pinch a last tally of 4.77 successful nan large final, while Inodnesia’s Leonardo Veddriq won golden successful 4.75 seconds.

But Watson, who will commencement classes astatine nan U. this autumn while training pinch USA Climbing that is headquartered successful Salt Lake City, scaled nan wall successful 4.74 seconds for nan first badge of immoderate colour for nan United States’ climbing delegation successful nan Paris Summer Games.

“I’m very happy to beryllium connected this stage, and I person nary regrets,” Watson said successful a team release. “To beryllium an Olympic medalist, to clasp it successful my manus pinch a portion of nan Eiffel Tower successful it — cipher tin ever return that distant from me.”

Fellow athletics climber Colin Duffy will compete successful nan men’s mixed last Friday.