As he neared his 40th birthday, just three months away, the French climber took his final "dance" at the Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue on Thursday, receiving thunderous applause from thousands of local fans.
Despite finishing seventh in the men's speed climbing final with a time of 5.26 seconds, falling short of his medal aspirations, the outcome seemed secondary.
In the adrenaline-pumping "100-meter dash" of sport climbing, Mawem, the oldest competitor ascending the 15-meter wall, showed no signs of age diminishing his hunger and desire to succeed.
INSPIRING THE WORLD
The speed climbing final featured a host of young prodigies, including 18-year-old American climber Sam Watson, who broke his own world record in the qualifiers with a new time of 4.74 seconds.
Amidst these youthful stars, Mawem stood out not as a relic of the past, but as a symbol of enduring passion.
During a highly competitive qualification round on Tuesday, Mawem surpassed his personal best three times, narrowly securing his place in the final by edging out 22-year-old Ukrainian Yaroslav Tkach by a mere hundredth of a second.
"It's a moment of unbelievable joy," said the French climber emotionally. "It was a beautiful duel, one I wasn't really favored to win, and I managed to grab it at the end by 1/100th of a second."
"I grew up with this sport bit by bit. It's truly a privilege to be here now with all these inspiring young athletes whom I've also inspired," he said. "To finish my career in the final with them is crazy. It's as crazy for them as it is for me."
Although Mawem ultimately fell to Indonesia's Veddriq Leonardo, who went on to become the new Olympic champion in the event, his presence at the Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue was a monumental success.
"Because there aren't many places-just 14 spots in the whole world-you had to punch your ticket. I punched my ticket, and now I know I'm part of the top eight," Mawem said.
He set the event's first Olympic record of 5.45 seconds during the speed qualifications at Tokyo 2020, but an injury, a ruptured lower biceps tendon, sidelined him from competing in the final.
Following the Tokyo Games, Mawem faced a long and challenging recovery process, undergoing surgery and staying away from climbing for several months. When he finally returned, he had to rebuild his strength and skills from scratch.
"It took me a year to get back to my level, and then I had to claw my way back to the international level," he recalled.
His comeback was affirmed at a speed climbing qualification tournament in Rome in September 2023, where he outperformed Europe's best to secure his Olympic ticket.
For Mawem, even when the Olympic fervor fades and life returns to normal, his love for climbing remains undeterred.
"Climbing brings me balance-a moment in which I detach from work and family. A moment in which I don't think about the future or all the things I still have to do. In simple words, it is my moment," he said.
BROTHERHOOD SHINES
Bassa Mawem was 15 when he discovered climbing, a passion he shared with his brother, Mickael Mawem. The sport then became an anchor for both of them.
The older brother, Bassa, felt a twinge of regret not having his brother, also a professional climber, join him in the Paris Olympics, as he saw the 34-year-old Mickael as a source of motivation.
Their story from Tokyo did not repeat itself. At the last Olympics, the Mawem brothers both represented France. Mickael qualified at the world championships in 2019, while Bassa secured his spot three months later at an Olympic qualification tournament.
However, Mickael, the 2023 world boulder champion, failed to qualify for Paris at the continental combined qualifications in Laval and the Olympic qualifying series in Shanghai.
Yet, Mickael became part of Bassa's Olympic journey, cheering alongside their family and even performing the dramatic countdown ritual with three strikes on the ground to kick off the speed climbing final.
It took a long time for the brothers to join the French national team (Bassa in 2011, Mickael in 2014), but their dedication paid off. Bassa specialized in speed climbing, becoming national champion, setting a French record with a time of 5.52 seconds, winning silver at the 2018 world championships, and topping the world rankings in 2018 and 2019.
Mickael, less powerful yet more technical, excelled in bouldering. "I love the diversity of training in bouldering, and it's always changing. There are many things to work on-it's always new. I love it," said Mickael.
Bassa emphasized their perseverance, noting that they started from humble beginnings without a climbing background in their family.
"We started from nothing, and we fought. We stuck to our methodology: strength. Since the beginning, even in our cellar, we worked on strength, strength, strength... We stuck to it, and that's how we managed to reach the elite level," said Bassa.
The brothers, known as "Les Freres Mawem," have launched their own line of T-shirts and climbing gear, and opened a climbing gym in Colmar, Alsace, close to their climbing roots.
"We left Alsace due to a lack of resources for a high-level career, but we returned to share the skills and knowledge we've gained," Bassa explained.
"Our next goal is to allow young people to experience everything we have experienced. We hope that our athletes, one day, will compete in Los Angeles 2028 or Brisbane 2032," he said.
Xinhua
