Adam Ondra on 6th Place at Olympics and Feeling Bitter
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Adam Ondra on 6th Place at Olympics and Feeling Bitter - Gripped Magazine
"Every sport event creates just one winner, and just three medalists and many 'losers'..."
Gripped Magazine (gripped.com)
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So Adam Ondra feels bitter about 6th place. One could argue that the nature of climbing pits one against oneself, and it was only via sport climbing competitions that we really began to see this "merciless" nature.
In fact climbers tend to be the most supportive bunch!
Keep in mind if you think climbing is merciless, tennis is much more so... only one winner, and everybody else is a loser. One can only imagine the mental havoc it wreaks.
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Competition climbing has been around since before the Olympics. Granted, I've only been to gym competitions and Triple Crown down here in the southeast, but the community at these competitions is very friendly.
I think part of the competitive, "merciless" spirit at the Olympics is because it's on a global stage, but it's also because of the presteige of the Olympic Games.
It is a bit disappointing to hear that Ondra is somewhat bitter about the competition, but I hope and expect that that spirit won't trickle down to local comps or broader climbing culture
