Toby Roberts psyched himself up for a shot at Olympic climbing gold by listening to the Eminem classic ‘Lose Yourself’.
At 19, Roberts was born three years after Eminem released that song on the soundtrack to the film ‘8 Mile’.
But a quick look at the lyrics explains just why it is so appropriate for a budding climber: “Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?”
Sitting third after the bouldering section of this men’s Olympic sport climbing final, Roberts waited in the isolation area as his rivals took on a 15-metre wall in turn in the decisive lead section.
By the time he walked out to be greeted by the crowd at Le Bourget, Eminem’s words still rattling around his head, Roberts knew what he needed to do to make the podium.
In six minutes, the equation was thus: 77 points to overtake Austria’s Jakob Schubert to go top, 74 for second. By the time he fell from the wall, he had 92.1.
Still, 17-year-old prodigy Sorato Anraku from Japan had won the bouldering and is the world champion in both disciplines.
The assumption was that he would score the 86 points he needed for gold, and Roberts would take a well-earned silver.
But just as he approached the decisive spot on the wall, Anraku lost his grip, let it slip.
Roberts, like everyone else, could not believe it.
He said: “To be honest, I have literally no words. I don't think this is ever going to sink in. Literally no words.
“I was just sat there. I was happy with the silver, so I was just sat there completely happy. And then to find out that I got gold, it was just an incredible moment. I'm so happy. I was really nervous on my new route. So just coming out here and being able to put a good performance in – I’m just happy.
“I've been training for this moment my whole life, and now I've just won. To say it hasn't sunk in is an understatement.
“I don't really know what to think right now, but I imagine later, there's just going to be a flood of emotions. I'm just going to realise that, it’s a goal I've been training towards for 10 years.”
While this dream is a decade in the making, climbing has been part of Roberts’ persona since he was born.
He would climb out of his cot as a baby and has basically not looked back since. Supported by his father Tristian, who is now his coach, Roberts’ journey has been a family affair.
Tristian does not come from a climbing background, but has been on the same learning curve as Toby, while also serving as taxi driver and even a builder – after he put a climbing wall in the back garden during the pandemic.
Climbing made its debut at the Olympics in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, during the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.
Roberts was too young to compete there, but had already marked out his plan to make an Olympic debut in the French capital.
He explained: “I’ve been working towards this for 10 years. Me and my dad, we created a plan to get to this stage. It’s been a journey, a lot of competitions, ups and downs, but to finally be on this stage, competing in front of this crowd and to win the gold medal is a dream come true.
“Once climbing got introduced into the Tokyo Olympics [I made the plan to compete]. So when I was around 12. But I’ve been climbing since I was seven.”
A dream that began more than a decade ago, and truly took form in 2017, has now become reality for Toby Roberts. He seized everything he ever wanted in one moment.
Sportsbeat 2024