These days, beach volleyball and bouldering have become two of my favorite hobbies, and since both are now Olympic sports, we tuned in to watch plenty of action during the recent Paris Games.

Bouldering is now just one discipline within the broader Sport Climbing event, which also includes Lead Climbing and Speed Climbing.

Bouldering involves tackling a series of short but challenging routes, often requiring dynamic, parkour-like movements. There are no ropes involved, and if you miss, you could face a fall of up to 3 meters.

Lead Climbing, on the other hand, is a longer and much higher climb. You tie off your own safety rope as you progress, securing yourself along the way.

Then there’s Speed Climbing, which is essentially a vertical sprint—15 meters straight up. The current world record is an incredible 4.74 seconds. Watching it looks something like this:

I bring this up because there’s a speed climbing wall in Brisbane, and during a recent visit, I decided to give it a try.

Now, I didn’t expect to get anywhere near 4.74 seconds, but I was curious if I could even complete the course.

And I did! (sort of).

In 7.3 seconds!! No, wait. 73 seconds!

But the important point is that I completed the Olympic course! (Sort of).

Practically an Olympic champion!