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Climber Colin Duffy has created history in American sports by becoming the first US climber to secure back-to-back Olympics qualifications.
On August 13, the 19-year-old climber grabbed the silver medal at the 2023 World Climbing Championships. His win has made him the first US male climber to qualify for Paris 2024 Olympics.
In 2020, the then-18-year-old Colin Duffy made his Olympic debut with Team USA and achieved the seventh ranking in climbing. Nevertheless, he also became the youngest competitor in the Olympics with his debut.
After achieving a silver medal at the world championship in Men’s Combined at Bern, Switzerland, Duffy is all set to make his appearance in the 2024 Olympics for the second time.
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On Sunday, after Duffy achieved his historic performance, the official Twitter page of Team USA proudly shared the news of his second-time qualification. It posted a picture of the young climber and wrote in caption:
"At only 19 years old, Colin Duffy punches his ticket to a second Olympics, making history. He's the first U.S. male climber to qualify for #Paris2024 and the first U.S. climber to achieve back-to-back Olympic qualifications."
Colin Duffy’s journey so far
Colin Duffy had a knack for climbing from a young age. So from the beginning, he began training at Boulder Colorado, famously known for outdoor recreation and sports.
Duffy was nine years old when he clinched his first youth title, including 10 national youth titles and two world youth titles. At the age of 14, he won a gold medal in the Lead Climbing category at the 2018 IFSC Youth Championships in Moscow.
The young climber’s journey went uphill from there as he also participated in the Pan American Sport Climbing Championships. At the age of 16, Colin Duffy secured his first ticket to the Olympics after he topped the men's combined standings.
Moreover, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, when Duffy he expressed to Climbing Magazine that he loved competing and would continue to do it until he experienced a “burn out or just get too old.”
After he achieved a seventh-place finish at the big stage, he shared his experience, saying:
“It feels great. It did not go the way I wanted. But it leaves me hungry for more in the future. I mean, I’m only 17, so I have a lot of time. I’m upset, but I’m still happy. Like, as time goes on, I’ll be able to appreciate what today was.”
