This athlete set a world record in speed climbing, but still had to settle for bronze, here's why
Paris Olympics has seen its fair share of bizarre occurrences and incidents, and a recent one, revolving around a speed climber, is just like the icing on a cake. According to a Yahoo Sports report, Team USA's speed climber Sam Watson was not able grab a gold medal in the speed climbing event at the Paris Olympics 2024, even after setting a world record, by climbing a 49 ft wall within a matter of 4.74 seconds.
USA speed climber manages bronze even after setting world record
Watson's climb has been even faster than the sprinters at the track and field events, and his record is being the most talked about thing, along with the fact that he had to miss out on a gold medal even after this fantastic climb. Watson, instead had to settle for a bronze medal after this small incident, that saw him descend back to earth as the fastest man in an Olympic sport, while the audience cheered for his amazing performance.
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Why couldn't Sam Watson not secure a gold?
Watson had to force a smile while receiving the bronze medal during the ceremony, as he was very close to the Olympic gold, and had even set a world record for it. However, this is also a fact that speed climbing involves the lowest margin-of-error in an Olympic sport, and even climbing a wall too fast won't do the trick for the athlete. Instead, they need to do so with precision and follow every rule along the way.
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