“We have a legend on the screen.” That’s how Ahmed Toure, the commentator for USA Climbing, introduced Chris Sharma this weekend when the iconic climber showed up to a competition dominated by young people. Sharma had just begun his last route in the lead climbing finals of the North American Cup Series when Toure explained to audiences why this 43-year-old man was competing against climbers less than half his age.
“He’s just been an incredible representative of the climbing community for decades,” Toure said. “It’s cool to see him coming out of the woodwork. Just to come and have fun in this competition with all the youngsters out here …. He might be on the older side, but he’s no slouch.”
That turned out to be an understatement.
Sharma took home a silver medal, earning a place on the podium alongside gold medalist Sergey Lakhno, 20, and bronze winner Jayden Perez, 18. As one of the first stars to emerge from competition climbing in the 1990s, Sharma brought a classic, chill attitude to his performance at New Jersey’s GOAT Climbing Gym, Toure noted.
As Sharma worked his way through powerful moves on slippery holds, he slipped close to the top, allowing Lakhno to get a little higher and edge out Sharma for the gold.
But as Toure pointed out, it’s no big deal for Sharma, who is, indeed, “a very busy guy.”
