American speed climber Sam Watson is a man of the people. He’s been fielding Olympic Village requests and challenges from his 16,000 Instagram followers ever since the Opening Ceremony.
First up on his list? Playing chess with anyone in the village. Watson may be a competitive climber, but he’s also a chess enthusiast.
“It’s similar to climbing, you’re just trying to improve and every move leads to a position,” Watson told Olympics.com.
He posted a video on Instagram asking his followers in the village to reach out to him for a game of chess.
Although his initial request may have had a small audience, Watson later shared an online chess account so anyone could play against him.
During the lead-up to his competition, Watson also started on a quest to take a photo with every delegation participating at the Olympics.
This was no easy task, which Watson realized partway into the challenge.
“200 selfies is slightly harder than expected,” Watson posted on his Instagram story.
He figured that if he knocked out around 25 countries a day aside from the ones competing in his event, he should be able to achieve his goal.
As of a few days ago, he managed to take photos with members of 44 delegations, including Tuvalu, which is represented by only two athletes.
Watson then caught wind of the legendary chocolate muffins from the Olympic Village cafeteria. Once he tried them, he was hooked.
“They light up our days, they give us hope for the biggest events of our lives,” Watson said of the muffins. “They unite cultures from around the world, they heal wounds, and they build bridges.”
Next, Watson crowdsourced content ideas from his followers. The climber was looking to create a video series spotlighting unique features from different countries. It’s unclear if any videos are in the works so far, but knowing Watson, he likely has one up his sleeve.
Watson’s adventures don’t end there. He also took advantage of the postcards available in the the Olympic Village. He promised to send a postcard to whoever had the top comment on his post.
His pursuit of all these quests in Paris begs the big question: How far can Watson make it in his quest for Olympic men’s speed climbing gold?
As the world record holder with a sub-five-second run time of 4.79 seconds, Watson has the talent needed to achieve the feat.
He isn’t the only competitor that has broken records, though. Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo was the first climber to break the five-second barrier up the wall. He initially recorded a 4.98-second run in April 2023 before breaking it again later the same day with a 4.90-second run.
Experience and skill aren’t the only factors that dictate the winners in speed climbing. It’s difficult to predict who will finish in the top three of a final due to the discipline’s high margin for error. False starts, falls, and slips can all disqualify a climber or delay their time. In such a fast sport, any mistake can be the difference.
In his ultimate and most important quest yet, Watson will have to be the fastest, most consistent climber to claim the Olympic men’s speed climbing title.
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