Tomoa Narasaki won the D4 men's bouldering classification final at the IFSC Climbing World Championships on Saturday, becoming the first Japanese to accomplish the feat in the newly introduced Olympic sport.
On the fourth day of competition at the AccorHotels Arena, Narasaki, who is No. 1 in the World Cup rankings this season, only needed two attempts to clinch gold while compatriot Tsukuru Hori finished sixth in the same discipline.
"I've never been happier," said the 20-year-old Narasaki.
"Accomplishing something that no other Japanese has ever done boosts my confidence. My next big goal is the Tokyo Olympics. I want to aim for gold," he said.
Sports climbing is one of five sports that was approved by the International Olympic Committee last month for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Baseball/softball, karate, skateboard and surfing were also added to the sports program.