Chinese pair carrying nation s hopes in sport climbing s Olympic debut By SHI FUTIAN | China Daily | Updated: 2020-12-24 09:10 Share CLOSE Song Yiling (left) and Pan Yufei are hopeful of challenging for honors when sport climbing debuts as an Olympic medal event in Tokyo next year. The International Federation of Sport Climbing has confirmed the pair among its 38 competitors for the delayed Games. EPA/XINHUA
China s brightest sport climbing talents are raring to shine on the biggest stage following confirmation of their qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.
On Sunday, the International Federation of Sport Climbing named Pan Yufei and Song Yiling among its 38 athletes who will compete at the Games, which have been delayed until next summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image zoom Credit: @emilyaharrington/Instagram
A gymnast, dancer, and ski racer throughout her childhood, Emily Harrington was no stranger to testing the limits of her physical abilities or taking risks. But it wasn t until she was 10 years old, when she climbed up a towering, free-standing rock wall, that she first felt truly afraid.
“The feeling of air underneath my feet was really intimidating, but at the same time, I was drawn to that feeling in a way,” says Harrington
. “I think I felt like it was a challenge.”
That first heart-pumping climb in Boulder, Colorado ignited her passion for free climbing, a sport where athletes ascend a wall using just their hands and feet, with only a top rope and a waist harness to catch them if they fall. In the early years of her climbing career, Harrington became a five-time U.S. National Champion for sport climbing and earned a spot on the podium of the
Last Olympic sport climbing spots assigned against Japan s wishes Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
A Tokyo 2020 staffer participates in a test event for sports climbing in March at Aomi Urban Sports Park. Japan s final berths in Olympic sport climbing have been determined following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. | REUTERS
Kyodo Dec 13, 2020
Kai Harada and Miho Nonaka sealed Japan s final sport climbing berths in next summer s Tokyo Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed a suit by the Japan Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Association, the body said Saturday.