Tomoa Narasaki has never hidden his desire to become the first Olympic gold medalist in sport climbing and he remains the favorite in Tokyo after continuing to refine his techniques this pandemic-hit year.
"It's finally here and my feeling is largely one of excitement. I've been setting my sights on becoming the first champion," said the popular climber, who originally enjoyed gymnastics before switching to climbing at the age of 10.
Having clinched his Olympic berth by winning the 2019 world championships in the combined category, the exact format used at this summer's Games, the disappointment was inevitable following the announcement of the postponement.