Tokyo 2020 Olympics: sport climbing Women's Finals live

15:24
So the curtain now falls on on sport climbing and its historic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 22-year-old Janja Garnbret from Slovenia and 18-year-old Alberto Ginés López from Spain have won the first gold medals. 24-year-old Miho Nonaka from Japan and 24-year-old Nathaniel Coleman from the USA take silver, while 32-year-old Akiyo Noguchi from Japan and 30-year-old Jakob Schubert from Austria take bronze.

Thousands and thousands of words will surely be written about these competitions in the future, but one thing is certain: climbing competitions have become huge and are now an integral part of the world's sporting universe. Thanks to all those who in all these years, through their hard work and relentless passion, have made this possible.

We’ll stop our running commentary here. Thanks for being with us. One last thought: the next Olympic Games? Paris 2024!

FINAL RESULTS WOMEN'S COMBINED

15:10
Results Lead
1. Janja Garnbret SLO 37+
2. Chaehyun Seo KOR 35+
3. Jessica Pilz AUT 34+
4. Akiyo Noguchi JPN 29+
5 Miho Nonaka JPN 21
6. Brooke Raboutou 20+
7. Anouck Jaubert 13+
8. Aleksandra Miroslaw 9+

15:02
Miho Nonaka silver, Akiyo Noguchi bronze. Gold goes to Janja Garnbret the great. She is the historic first female Olympic champion

15:01
Chaehyun Seo is still in with a chance but needs an exceptional performance now. The top. In the qualifiers she was the best in Lead. While Garnbret celebrates her gold, the South Korean sticks one hold after the next. Past Noguchi. She reaches Pilz’s highpoint, continues and… falls. She's second in Lead. And the two Japanese athletes are second and third in the Combined!

14:54
Jessica Pilz is already halfway up the route. Despite her finger injury she’s doing great and doesn't even look that tired. She passes Noguchi’s highpoint. And ploughs on towards Garnbret’s apex; she needs to pass this to claim silver. She fights. Immensely. But Janja Garnbret’s highpoint is just too high. What a battle!

14:48
GOLD!!! Janja Garnbret has won gold! It's official, she takes sport climbing's first Olympic gold medal. All eyes on the remaing athletes, still out there battling to decide who wins silver and bronze.

14:47
There are still three athletes remaining in this combined Olympic final. The first of the so is Miho Nonaka. The second Japanese in this final has the pedigree to do well. In fact, she starts superbly. With rhythm and intensity. The journey to reach Garnbret’s highpoint is a long one. She powers up to keep in the comp. Does the dyno. Seems on fire. But falls. Hold 21

14:41
Now it’s Janja Garnbret. The excitement has reached fever pitch. This climb could net her gold and she knows it. She climbs like a dream. In a league of her own compared what we’ve seen so far. She’s in control through the intense start. Powers through the green volumes, past Raboutou’s highpoint. Has Nogochi in her sights, and seems on top form. She stops to rest. Then reaches the Japanese highpoint and power past. She’s provisional first. And up she goes, on to the headwall Giving all she has. Before falling off hold 37+. It’ll take a miracle to beat her.

14:31
With Akiyo Noguchi we’re already halfway through the competition. It is no coincidence that she is fourth in the provisional standings. She has all of Japan supporting her. She climbs well, even if this route is vicious at the start. She flows through the strength-sapping overhang. Surpasses Rabouotou. And then continues her upwards drive. One hold after the next. What a battle! She tries to rest. Progresses even more. And falls off hold 29+.

14:28
Brooke Raboutou has hedged her bets on Lead. She’s currently in 5th, and nows she can scramble up in the ranking with a good performance now. Fast as lightning she’s past the previous highpoint, she seems on powerful form. But then she falls, possibly slightly distracted. 20+. That's disappointingly low for the American.

14:24
Anouck Jaubert currently lies in provisonal 4th. The moves up to the third quickdraw are intense. She get's past  Miroslaw's highpoint, and enters the overhang. It's a battle right from the outset, then she falls, 13+

14:22
Miroslaw starts. And struggles right from the outset. And falls, almost immediately. Hold 9+.

14:11
As in Boulder, Aleksandra Miroslaw will start first in Lead: the start list is based on the results obtained in the Lead qualifications. The Polish climber, currently residing in provisional second after winning Speed, is now looking for the performance on her lifetime. She is a pure sprinter and every meter she gains will be crucial. Night has fallen, currently the athletes are observing the route; they have six minutes to work out the beta.

14:04
Start List Lead
1. Aleksandra Miroslaw POL
2. Anouck Jaubert FRA
3. Brooke Raboutou USA
4. Akiyo Noguchi JPN
5. Janja Garnbret SLO
6. Miho Nonaka JPN
7. Jessica Pilz AUT
8. Chaehyun Seo KOR

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LEAD 14:10
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13:37
Here's the updated Combined result. Just one more event to go, Lead at 14:10.
Combined results after Speed and Boulder

13:32
Boulder Final results
1. Janja Garnbret SLO 2T3z 5 3
2. Brooke Raboutou USA 0T3z 0 10
3. Miho Nonaka JPN 0T2z 0 5
4. Akiyo Noguchi JPN 0T2z 0 7
5. Jessica Pilz AUT 0T2z 0 10
6. Anouck Jaubert FRA 0T1z 0 2
7. Chaehyun Seo KOR 0T0z 0 0
8. Aleksandra Miroslaw POL 0T0z 0 0

13:30
Janja Garnbret with two tops on the first two problems has already won Boulde. Possibly even Olympic gold. But she, and everyone else, want the top on #3. In just a few seconds she secures a zone, only to fall on the same move as Raboutou. On her second attempt she falls again. She could call it a day, and rest for the Lead. But she stays out on the mats, wants the top at all cost. But this one is just that bit too much.

13:26
Brooke Raboutou is the penultimate athlete out, it’s all or nothing for her here, too. Up for grabs is 2nd place in Boulder, all she needs is that distant zone. She tries. Fails. Rests intelligently. Then sets off again, zone! But falls moving upwards. The second part resists and remains untouched. Excellent work Raboutou, provisional second!

13:22
For Akiyo Noguchi, too, problem #3 could be all decisive. A zone on her first go would do wonders. But it isn’t to be. No zone first go, and not even on all her other attempts. She ends her run having given all she had.

13:17
At this point block #3 is decisive for 2nd and 3rd place in this Boulder event. And at this point it’s clear that a zone here is a great achievement. Chaehyun Seo tries with all her might, but today ins’t her bouldering day. She finishes without a single zone.

13:12
Miho Nonaka starts decisively. Powers through the volumes, past the crack. And secures the zone first go. Then falls going right. But this is already a great result for the Japanese who had failed to secure a zone on #1. Nonaka rests, then tries again. But falls lower, visibly exhausted she waves to the crowd. Provisional second for her.

13:08
Jessica Pilz starts well. A zone seems a possibility. But one attempt after the next it remains out of reach. Bloc # seems devastating. Pilz ends her run with 2 zones. And bloc # 3 remains unexplored.

13:03
Anouck Jaubert tackles #3 head on. She knows power is needed to get through the 35° overhang festooned with green volumes. But perhaps she used all her strength before, and fails to secure the zone. Another extremely challenging boulder problem.

13:00
Boulder #3. The last. And once again Aleksandra Miroslaw explores it first. But these problems are in a different league than the Pole. She concludes without a zone, finishes 8th, last. But she’d done what she’d set out to do: with the Speed.

12:55
Only Janja Garnbret remains. The Slovenian starts. Facing the wall. Even in obvious difficulty she somehow continues, secures the zone. And then, constantly searching for the perfect balance, she dynoes to the top. First go! Golden point! We’re speechless. She’s simply too superior here today. And has already won the Boulder event.

12:50
For Brooke Raboutou this is an opportunity to move up in the rankings. But she too clashes with the start. The young American fails to make headway, but she’s a fighter and secures the zone. Then, incredibly, she inches her way towards the top. Time isn’t on her side and, under pressure, she dynoes just as the clock beeps. Close call,  but not close enough. What a battle!

12:46
Akiyo Noguchi. Face to the wall. She tries to dyno for the zone but misses. She edges her way up to secure it second go, but gets no further. Nonaka’s performance a few minutes earlier was magical. Noguchi tries one more time, to no avail.

12:39
Chaehyun Seo also chooses the face-the-wall start. To do it this way you need superb hip flexibility and milimetrical precision that the Korean doesn’t have, unlike Nonaka. The zone remains a mirage. Right to the end.

12:36
Miho Nonaka chooses to start facing the wall, and confirms this isn’t the way forward. She tries and tries again. No go. Until all of a sudden a miraculous change in balance allows her to reach the zone. And then she continues upwards, eyes the top. One more move... Then a slip. Time is up. A remarkable attempt!

12:31
Jessica Pilz seems off to a good start. But then stumbles. She tries a different sequence, back to the wall. This is precisely the sequence envisaged by the route setters. And like this she reaches the zone, third go. Rotating out from here though is impossible. She falls again. But thanks to her zone she’s the best on #2 so far.

12:27
Anouck Jaubert has the power to send this problem. She tries to go go the zone. The impression is that this won’t be sent easily. There’s a series of contortions and thrusts. The Frenchwoman leaves the stage without a zone, too.

12:22
Aleksandra Miroslaw sets off up #2. In the center of the wall, it looks like a tough rebus. The Polish climber is in difficulty right from the outset.The moves are complex and she finishes without a zone, again. She isn’t a boulder, it shows. But she’d laid a good foundation in Speed. 

12:18
So after block #1 Janja Garnbret leads, followed by Anouck Jaubert and Brooke Raboutou.

12:17
In the qualifiers Janja Garnbret had secured 4 tops in just 4 attempts. But here today nothing can be taken for granted. She secures the zone first go, but then fails on the next move. She’s provisional first having got that zone first go, but she want’s more. She tries again, tiptoes past the zone to the top. Absolutely regal!

12:13
When Brooke Raboutou enters the area, she knows this is her make or break moment. Even for her the path that leads to the Zone seems too complicated. She tries relentlessly, then all of a sudden secures the zone. And then she continues upwards, easily, to the top. But then her foot slips just as she matches it and she takes the tumble. Unbelievable.

12:08
Yes this Boulder 1 is a killer. Akiyo Noguchi falls even before reaching the start holds. But she keeps it together and secures the Zone on her 5th attempt. The dyno right stops her in her tracks though. Even her last attempts go no further than the zone.

12:03
Chaehyun Seo confirms that #1 is a tough nut to crack. The sequence seems obligatory and, if you don’t find it, you barn door and fall. In the end, somewhat surprisingly, no Zone for the South Korean either.

11:59
Miho Nonaka, winner of the 2018 Boulder World Cup, repeats the script already seen. Her first attempt at the Zone fails. As do all her others. Yep, this is complicated move. The last minute is signalled and the Japanese still fails to have worked out the sequence. She tries to the bitter end, but no go. And, importantly, no zone. How much will this weigh on her mind?

11:54
Jessica Pilz might solve this first problem. The Austrian starts well but then struggle to reach the zone. It’s a question of finding the right body position to avoid the barndoor swing. Pilz tries and tries again. In the dying seconds she secures the zone. Problem #1 doesn’t seem easy in the slightest.

11:49
Anouck Jaubert isn't a Boulder specialist either. The Frenchwoman sets off immediately, and secures a zone second go. She gets off to a good start but then fails to make any further headway; the top seems distant.

11:43
It’s bouldering time. The women’s final, just like the men’s yesterday, is on 3 problems.  Aleksandra Miroslaw kicks it off with a "running" start (delicate and acrobatic). From here the problem goes diagonally from left to right. Miroslaw tries and tries again but running jump start is complicated. She does it, but the Zone is out of her reach. She ends her 4 minutes without a score.

11:35
The athletes are observing at the 3 boulders. They have 6 minute and are working out the moves, all together.

11:29
Start list Boulder
1. Aleksandra Miroslaw
2. Anouck Jaubert
3. Jessica Pilz
4. Miho Nonaka
5. Chaehyun Seo
6. Akiyo Noguchi
7. Brooke Raboutou
8. Janja Garnbret

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BOULDER 11:30
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11:09
The competition, after the first step Speed, proceeds without major upsets. Poland's Miroslaw did great by winning the first hurdle and setting the fantastic new world record in 6.84. Now she’ll have to defend this lead in Boulder and Lead. France’s Jaubert and Japan’s Nonaka also did superbly, second and third respectively in the provisional ranking. In 4th place is the other home favourite, Noguchi. Garnbret gets an excellent 5th which sets her well for gold since Boulder and Lead are her domain. She is followed by Pilz, Raboutou and Chaehyun. Raboutou in particular is disappointed with her result. But there’s still plenty of room to make amends.

10:58
Results Speed Combined Women
1 Aleksandra Miroslaw (POL)
2 Anouck Jaubert (FRA)
3 Miho Nonaka (JPN)
4 Akiyo Noguchi (JPN)
5 Janja Garnbret (SLO)
6 Jessica Pilz (AUT)
7 Brooke Raboutou (USA)
8 Seo Chaehyun (KOR)

10:54
6.84 magnificent world record set by Aleksandra Miroslaw who in doing so wins the Speed final against Anouck Jaubert. The Frenchwoman places second.

10:53
In the Japanese heat Miho Nonaka beats Akiyo Noguchi and is third. Nonaka finishes 4th.

10:49
Chaehyun Seo vs Brooke Raboutou. Seo claims a personal best, but loses nevertheless. 8th palce for her in Speed,  Raboutou 7th
Janja Garnbret pulls the hat out of the bag and with 7.81 places 5th, beating Jessica Pilz 6th.

10:45
First semifinal: Aleksandra Miroslaw vs Akiyo Noguchi. Noguchi slips, Miroslaw wins.
Second semfinal: Anouck Jaubert vs Miho Nonaka. Jaubert wins, but Nonaka was damn quick.
In the final: Jaubert vs Miroslaw

10:41
Chaehyun Seo vs Jessica Pilz. Pilz wins.
Janja Garnbret vs Brooke Raboutou.Garnbret starts well, slips, recuperates and wins

10:37
No surprises in the first heat
Aleksandra Miroslaw vs Chaehyun Seo, Miroslaw wins easily.
Akiyo Noguchi vs Jessica Pilz. Noguchi hits the buzzer first
Anouck Jaubert vs Janja Garnbret, the Frenchwoman races to the top first.
Miho Nonaka vs Brooke Raboutou, the American falls, Nonaka proceeds to the Semis.

10:30
The 15m track is ready. Steady. Go!

10:20
Speed Quarter finals pairing
Aleksandra Miroslaw (POL) vs Chaehyun Seo (KOR)
Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) vs Jessica Pilz (AUT)
Anouck Jaubert (FRA) vs Janja Garnbret (SLO)
Miho Nonaka (JPN) vs Brooke Raboutou (USA)

10:00
Welcome back to our fourth and last running commentary about sport climbing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It’s another big day, the women's final, the day when we’ll discover who will forever etch their names next to Alberto Ginés López, Nathaniel Coleman and Jakob Schubert, the three athletes who last night won gold, silver and bronze at sport climbing’s first Olympics.

What yesterday's gruelling competition demonstrated is that absolutely nothing can be taken for granted. It was a roller coaster of emotions and upsets. As was evident, the heat, but above all the pressure of performing on the biggest stage of all, are hugely important factors. Interestingly, yesterday’s top three all won one discipline. In order to win a medal, a victory in either Speed, Boulder or Lead seems essential.

The 8 athletes who two days ago qualified for the final are, in order: Janja Garnbret, Chaehyun Seo, Miho Nonaka, Akiyo Noguchi, Brooke Raboutou, Jessica Pilz, Aleksandra Miroslaw, Anouck Jaubert.

The Combined event starts, as always, with Speed at 10:30 am CET. See you soon.