Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia put himself in history when he matched Sam Watson’s world record during the men’s speed qualification seeding round at Paris 2024.
The 27-year-old sport climber completed the event in 4.79 seconds and qualify for the quarter-final which will take place on Thursday, August 8.
But moments after Veddriq Leonardo matched the record, 18-year-old Watson went 0.04s quicker in the elimination heats to set a new record time.
The American posted a stunning time of 4.75 seconds to immediately reclaim the world record and reach the last eight at the Olympics.
Leonardo was among the other climbers to safely progress to the quarter-finals, alongside reigning world champion Matteo Zurloni of Italy.