Climbing at the Paris 2024 Olympics: “Never been so strong”, the Oriane Bertone rocket took off, and in what way

Oriane Bertone a réussi une entrée en lice quasi parfaite, mardi, avec trois des quatre blocs avalés avec une facilité déconcertante. MAXPPP – Peter Byrne

La Française Oriane Bertone, grand espoir de l’escalade tricolore à 19 ans, a débuté en trombe ses JO de Paris 2024, mardi 6 août.

At Le Bourget, private jets aren't the only ones taking off. A few kilometers from the famous airport, Oriane Bertone also took off on Tuesday. Under the blazing sun of the Olympic Games climbing site, the French climber, only 19, made a spectacular entrance into the semi-finals of the difficult boulder. Living up to the immense hopes placed in this prodigy in her discipline.

“Honestly, the morning wasn't perfect, because the last boulder… Well, almost! No, it went very well. I really put a lot of things in place and I was confident, serene”, she commented, after having swallowed three of the four blocks with a feeling of disconcerting ease.

This ease allowed the Reunionese to place herself in second position in the block, behind the almost untouchable Slovenian Janja Garnbret, before the second stage of the semi-finals, the difficulty and its 15m wall, on Thursday.

6,000 spectators in fusion

"That's really what I wanted. I managed to get a lot of energy from all that, from this environment. And that's beautiful", smiled the young woman, a bomb of energy who arrived in the sports and media landscape at the speed of light. And at the speed of his exploits, accomplished from his youngest years, on walls erased from the age of 8.

The native of Nice, daughter of an Italian former judo hopeful and a Frenchwoman, climbed the cliffs of her island and the steps of success with the carefree attitude of virtuosos. Up to two junior world champion titles and a senior World Cup won at 18, ahead of Garnbret. The title of vice-world champion in 2023 finished installing the resident of the Pôle France de Fontainebleau in the cream of the crop.

With the expectations induced by this status. The welcome given by the 6,000 spectators on Tuesday did not lie: on his toned physique, typical of climbing enthusiasts, Bertone carries the weight of a medal that few see slipping away from him. “I had prepared myself for many different situations: not being able to leave my house, not doing any bouldering, many things. But, despite everything, you don't necessarily expect there to be so many people. When you hear your name, you sigh a little, you know”, she giggled.

“I've never been so strong in my life”

As if the pressure had no hold on this bubbly and natural girl. “It's also a chance. I like people, I like the audience, and I like playing with them too.” Before exploding with joy after having successfully climbed, and the three scores that go with it (5, 10, 25 points), “Ori” isolates herself, sitting on the mattress, facing her wall.

A preparation, which followed another, in order to face and absorb the aspiration of a whole crowd at home. No easy task even when you are a rising star of a discipline widely followed in the world, with nearly “50 million practitioners”, recalls Nicolas Januel, his coach.

“But the Franco-French context, we are not necessarily very used to it, recognizes however the coach, who had to refuse many media requests. That and the Olympics are a bit beyond everyone." "She's still a young girl", he adds.

Oriane Bertone, for her part, started these Games like she climbs. Aerial and at full speed. "Overall, it's still a competition: four blocks, one route. “We must try to focus on the things we can manage,” says the climber, who has “never been so strong in (her) life.” The Oriane rocket is expected to be launched into orbit on Saturday during the final.