Hamish McArthur grateful for backing himself to give Olympics a go after finishing fifth in debut outing

By Paul Eddison in Le Bourget

Hamish McArthur questioned whether he should even try to qualify for the Olympics at the start of this year. After finishing fifth in the final of the sport climbing, the 23-year-old is grateful that he gave it a shot.

Hailing from York, McArthur was something of a surprise qualifier for the eight-man final of the men’s boulder and lead competition.

Once he had booked his place in the top eight though, McArthur made it count, sitting in the medal positions until the final two competitors.

Compatriot Toby Roberts knocked him out of medal contention, on his way to a gold medal at just 19, before Japan’s Sorato Anraku grabbed silver.

But given that he was not even sure if it was worth trying to make it to Paris, McArthur was thrilled at the way he got on in the final.

He said: “I’m very happy with that. I’m not going to ask for anymore. There was no way that I was down to make the final here, so I’ve just been enjoying every moment that I’ve had out here. The crowd is wild. They react to everything you do.

“This event is like nothing I’ve ever done before. I wasn’t even sure I was going to compete at this Olympics, I was on the fence about whether I wanted to compete this year, just because I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself.

“But I did, I showed up, and I’m so proud of myself for doing that and having a good time. I just wasn’t expecting to have such a smile on myself during the whole event.”

With Roberts taking gold and McArthur also reaching the final, as well as Erin McNeice qualifying for Saturday’s women’s boulder and lead final, these Games could be a game changer for sport climbing.

The sport made its debut in Tokyo and has quickly captured the imagination fans and fellow athletes alike.

Despite the British success at these Games, the facilities in the UK still need improvement, which McArthur hopes will come with these results.

But as much as he hopes to see greater investment in climbing, McArthur is adamant that it should not come at the expense of the sport’s ethos.

He added: “Tons of money would be nice. Tons of money being thrown around. It’s going to have an impact. Climbing gyms are already popping up everywhere, and they’re only going to get better from this. They are going to have more money, more investment into this sport.

“Such a marketable sport as you can see. It’s one of the sports the crowd gets the most hyped about that I’ve ever seen live. I hope it’s done in the right way; I don’t want it to become overly corporate. I don’t want it to change too much.”

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