Tokyo Olympics speed climbing rules, how does it work?

From his Brisbane backyard mango tree to the Blue Mountains - here is what it took for our first male sports climber to scale to the Olympics.

Australia's Olympic Sport Climbing representative Tom O'Halloran ahead of his departure to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Picture: Richard Dobson

A sport like nothing else – requiring speed, dexterity, flexibility and brain power – Tom O’Halloran explains exactly what it took to become Australia’s first male Olympic sports climber.

Tom O’Halloran has always been obsessed with climbing but he never dreamt it would help him achieve his lifelong goal of competing at the Olympics.

The 28-year-old climber grew up in Enoggera, near Brisbane.

“I always climbed as a kid, I used to climb out of the cot when I was tiny, mum says she couldn’t keep me in it,” O’Halloran said.

Australia's Olympic Sport Climbing representative Tom O'Halloran ahead of his departure to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Picture: Richard Dobson

“We had a mango tree in the backyard and I was always climbing in that, I would watch Tarzan and then try and do the same stuff that he was doing. I’d climb around the house on the windowsills and up the door frames.”

Growing up O’Halloran played every sport, including tennis, cricket, basketball, rugby, swimming, athletics and football.

It wasn’t until Urban Climb opened in Brisbane in 2004 that O’Halloran discovered his passion was fast becoming a popular sport.

“My birthday was coming up and my mum and dad said they could either sign me up for a term of classes or I could have a birthday party at the centre with my friends – I chose to sign up for the term of classes and I absolutely loved it.”

O'Halloran proved to be a natural and was selected to compete at the state titles and nationals less than a year after taking up the sport.

In 2007, aged 15, he competed at the World Youth Championships in Ecuador where he placed 12th.

Tom O’Halloran training at the Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym at Villawood. Picture: Richard Dobson

When he wasn’t climbing indoors O’Halloran and his dad Peter practised outdoors.

“It was a natural progression back then, indoor climbing was a very different thing that many years ago. Everyone who worked at an indoor climbing gym was there so they could climb during the week when they couldn’t get to a mountain,” O’Halloran said.

“My dad got into climbing as well and we would climb together on weekends, we started at Kangaroo Point then out to the Glasshouse Mountains and towards Boonah.”

O’Halloran graduated from St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace in 2009 and started saving so he could move to the Blue Mountains and pursue his love of rock climbing.

He made the long drive south in 2011, shortly after that he met his partner Amanda, a talented climber as well.

The couple have a daughter, 7-year-old Audrey.

“It is just the best place in the country to live and work and climb, it had always been a dream to live there. I had thought I’d maybe be there for a year, but I’m still here a decade later,” O’Halloran said.

A dream to be a part of the Australian Olympic team was born in 2000 after watching the Opening Ceremony at a friend’s house.

Despite trying his hand at every sport O’Halloran said he just wasn’t as good as you needed to be, to be an Olympian.

In 2016 it was announced that sport climbing would be an Olympic sport at the 2020 Games.

“At that point I hadn’t been in competition for a long time, maybe since 2011, I just loved outdoor climbing so much,” O’Halloran said.

Award winning climbers Tim 10yrs (L) and his brother Tom O'Halloran 13yrs (R) at their Enoggera home on the practice wall.

“Indoor climbing had gotten to the point that you had to wholeheartedly dedicate yourself to being an indoor climber, the style is so unique and I didn’t want to give up my outdoor climbing.

“But in the end my partner said you are going to regret it if you don’t at least try.”

It wasn’t until the start of 2019, after appearing on two seasons of Ninja Warrior, that O’Halloran decided to give qualifying for the Olympics a crack.

He competed in the World Cup and World Championships and qualified for the Oceania Championships, which after some COVID-19 delays went ahead in December 2020.

“Getting through to the Olympic team was just surreal,” O’Halloran said.

Olympic sport climbing will run as a combined event with all athletes competing in all three disciplines; bouldering, lead and speed climbing – a first for the sport.

Tom O’Halloran training hard at the Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym at Villawood ahead of his departure to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Picture: Richard Dobson

O’Halloran said it was a stroke of genius as it will showcase all aspects of the sport and require athletes to be all-rounders, not just specialists in one discipline.

Speed climbing was what O’Halloran had to work on the most but he said after plenty of training he was now able to scale the 15m tall wall in a competitive time.

It is no real surprise that lead climbing, which most resembles rock climbing, is O’Halloran’s strongest and favourite discipline.

While O’Halloran is super “psyched” for his debut Olympics he said would miss having his partner and daughter in the stands watching on.

He has promised his daughter Audrey that she will be allowed to stay up late and watch dad compete.

Sport climbing is on from August 3 to 6 at Aomi Urban Sports Park.