Sam Watson sets new world record to win Olympic speed climbing bronze

Sam Watson is leaving Paris with another world record and a bronze medal.

The 18-year-old from Southlake, Texas, earned bronze in the first ever Olympic men's speed climbing event at Le Bourget Climbing Venue Thursday morning and made history in the process.

WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE

Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

Watson broke his previous record of 4.75 seconds, which he set on Tuesday, by posting a 4.74 in the bronze-medal race against Iran's Reza Alipour.

Sam Watson, an 18-year-old from North Texas, talked to NBC 5's Laura Harris about setting a speed climbing record and winning a bronze medal the Paris Olympics.

Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.

Watson started his day with a quarterfinal win over New Zealand's Julian David at 5.03 seconds. He then lost to China's Wu Peng in the semifinals with a 4.93, just .08 seconds away from a spot in the gold medal race.

Indonesia's Veddriq Leonardo went on to win gold with a 4.75-second climb in the final, while Peng got silver with a 4.77.

Sam Watson was a kid from Texas dreaming of going to the Olympics; this year, he’s heading to Paris to represent Team USA in Olympic climbing.

American teen Sam Watson wins speed climbing bronze with new world record

The 18-year-old broke his own world record to win bronze in the inaugural Olympic speed climbing event.

By Max Molski • Published August 8, 2024 • Updated on August 8, 2024 at 1:55 pm

This article tagged under:

Follow Us