The men’s speed climbing heats at Le Bourget have wrapped up, with eight athletes securing their spots in Thursday’s final. The standout performance came from USA’s Sam Watson, who shattered his own world record with a lightning-fast time of 4.75 seconds. The home crowd also had reason to celebrate as France’s Bassa Mawem clinched the final spot by a mere 0.01 seconds in a thrilling finish.
In a nail-biting heat, the 39-year-old Mawem edged out Ukraine’s Yaroslav Tkach, prompting enthusiastic chants of “Bassa! Bassa!” from the passionate French supporters. The final lineup for the upcoming final includes:
- Sam Watson (USA) - 4.75 seconds
- Veddriq Leonardo (Indonesia) - 4.79
- Amir Maimuratov (Kazakhstan) - 4.89
- Matteo Zurloni (Italy) - 4.94
- Wu Peng (China) - 5.00
- Bassa Mawem (France) - 5.16
- Julian David (New Zealand) - 5.20
- Reza Alipour (Iran) - 5.06 (lucky loser)
The stage is set for an exhilarating final showdown as these top athletes vie for the coveted title. Stay tuned for more thrilling speed climbing action at Le Bourget!
