Sandra Lettner Takes First Ever Climbing Olympic Gold at Youth Olympics Games
The Youth Olympic Games give out first Olympic sanctioned medals to Sandra Lettner, Vita Lukan and Laura Lammer.
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Yesterday marked a monumental day in climbing history as the first Olympic medals were presented to climbers. The Youth Olympic Games are underway in Buenos Aires, featuring climbing as an official sport for the first time. The Youth Olympic Games are a testing ground for the new Olympic climbing format.
Yesterday, the women’s portion of the competition concluded in epic fashion. Going into the lead climbing finals, it was anyone’s competition. The Austrians Laura Lammer and Sandra Lettner along with Vita Lukan of Slovenia were battling it out in the top three positions moving into the finals. Lammer won speed climbing and came in fourth for bouldering, leaving her with four points overall. Lukan came in sixth place in speed but pulled off an impressive win in bouldering, leaving her with six points overall. Lettner took a balanced third place in both speed and bouldering, leaving her with nine points overall.
Lettner took second place in the lead portion of the competition, leaving her with 18 points, giving Lettner the lead and ultimately the gold medal. Lukan took third place in the lead finals, giving her 18 points as well. However, Lettner was able to squeeze out the win on tiebreakers, leaving Lukan with a silver medal. Lammer took fifth place in the lead competition, leaving her with 20 points and a bronze medal.
Overall, the highly debated Olympic format functioned well. Be sure to follow Rock and Ice for more updates on the men’s portion of the Youth Olympic Games.
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