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Toby Roberts delivered gold on his judgment day at the Paris Olympics even if he is sceptical about being called ‘The Terminator’.
Roberts’ gutsy style has earned him the nickname associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in the 1980s American science fiction action film.
It was a moniker he had to explain after winning Great Britain’s first-ever Olympic sport climbing medal in boulder and lead – earned in dramatic fashion after Japanese favourite Sorato Amkaru fell within touching distance of gold – and he admitted he is not too comfortable with it.
“It’s not a self-given nickname,” said the 19-year-old from Surrey, who felt he was born to climb after being told stories of how he would try to escape his cot as a baby.
“I’m not sure how I feel about it. I don’t think I could really give myself a nickname. I think I’d just call myself Toby.”
Roberts’ journey from infant climber to tackling trees in his childhood gained traction by joining an after-school climbing club at the age of seven.
He said he got hooked on climbing and non-climber dad Tristian enabled his son’s sporting dream by building a wall in the garden of the family home.
When it was announced that sport climbing was to be introduced at Tokyo 2020, Roberts set his heart on winning gold and creating British Olympic history.
It's not a self-given nickname...I think I'd just call myself Toby— Toby Roberts on being called 'The Terminator'
Roberts said: “I’ve been working towards this for, like 10 years, me and my dad created a plan to get to this stage.
“It’s been a journey. I’ve been in a lot of competitions, had ups an downs, and to win the gold medal is like a dream come true.”
Roberts was behind Anraku and American Colin Duffy after the boulder section but made his move with a brilliant lead route to register 92.1 points out of 100.
Victory was still in Anraku’s grasp as he scaled the wall of the Le Bourget Climbing Venue, and the multiple World Cup winner had been dominant in both qualifying and the final until disaster struck.
Anraku was within 10 points of Roberts’ score of 155.2 when he fell, Roberts simply watching in shock as he contemplated that gold was his.
Roberts said: “To find out you’ve won Olympic gold is definitely a shock. It was a rush of adrenaline, emotion and then happiness.
“I knew after the boulder round I could get a medal, but it was really important to calm myself down before going out for my lead route.
“I didn’t want to be on the wall feeling shaky, I had to put a good performance in.
“I hope this makes climbing bigger and bigger. The sport is growing in the UK with climbing gyms opening up, and it’s so cool to see climbing on this big stage.”
Austria’s Jakob Schubert took bronze and Great Britain’s Hamish McArthur finished fifth on 125.9 points.
McArthur said: “I just don’t have any complaints. This is pretty cool, the whole event is like nothing I’ve ever done before.
“I was on the fence whether I was even going to be at these Olympics just because I didn’t want to put too much on myself to compete.
“But I obviously showed up and I’m so proud of myself for doing that.”
