Introduction

The reigning Olympic Champion. Alberto Ginés-López wasn’t top of may people’s lists when it came to predicting who would win Olympic Gold in Tokyo, and yet, when all was said and done, it was Alberto that walked home with the Gold, despite finishing bottom of the pile in the bouldering round. 

Whilst the improved scoring system and the removal of the speed element of the competition might, at first glance, appear to push Alberto further away from the podium, Alberto has done some improving of his own, transforming his weakest discipline - bouldering - into one where he can more than hold his own. During the Olympic Qualifier Series, Alberto finished in the top three in three of the six bouldering rounds, and only once finished outside the top six.

Add to that his overall fourth place OQS finish, as well as the fact that he finished in second place to Toby Roberts at the combined European Qualifier in Laval, and suddenly Alberto seems like the kind of climber who, given the opportunity, might just be able to pull off something magical. He’s done it before…

Qualification route

Olympic Qualifier Series 2024: 4th Place

Trivia

Ginés-López finished in either first or second place in five out of the six ‘combined’ rounds of the Olympic Qualifier Series.

UKC prediction

7th place

Whilst Alberto’s recent form has been excellent, and he clearly brings out his best on the biggest stages, his inconsistency and relative inexperience at World Cup level suggests that, when up against the very best, his bouldering might just let him down. We can see him squeezing into the final 8, but coming up short in the final.