SANTIAGO, Chile – With technical difficulties and panic happening directly below, Canadian sport climber Becca Frangos was locked into a flow state, oblivious to everything except finding the next hold on the 15-metre wall.
One of eight finalists in the women’s boulder and lead event on Tuesday (Oct. 24) at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, the pressure was off the elite 26-year-old climber from Canmore. There was one golden ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics on the line, but the lead specialist, now living in Vancouver, would have needed a miracle to get that day.
However, Frangos went into the lead finals laser-focused and after jumping off the wall she said she was happy with her flow, pace and confidence.
“That’s all you can ask for,” said Frangos. “I had an amazing time and I felt I was climbing really free, which was my goal; just to climb for myself.”
Frangos finished in seventh place, which ultimately eliminated the Olympic-hopeful from getting a chance to qualify for Paris 2024. With only 20 spots available, Frangos knew getting to the Summer Games was going to be a mountain to overcome.
“I’m just outside of the bubble … so unfortunately my Olympic journey ends here for this cycle at the Pan-Am Games,” said Frangos.
“Setting big goals puts you in a vulnerable position, but I don’t regret going for it and putting my best effort forward.
“It’s always a little disappointing to not achieve a big goal but I’m really happy with my effort.”
A slip and fall in the opening lead round put Frangos in a bad spot point-wise, but she was able to sneak into the finals with the final position. All three Canadian women competing – Frangos, Alannah Yip and Indiana Chapman – made it into the finals.
With the sun setting after an 8 p.m. start, Frangos was first up under the bright stadium lights on Tuesday – well, sorta. When the Canmore-raised climber started to ascend, the spotlight shining on the wall flickered on and off for two minutes before shutting off completely.
Frangos had the option of re-starting by calling a technical, but with a golden sky illuminating during twilight, the Canadian was unphased by the malfunction and continued upward.
She snagged a highly respectable 57.1 points – 86.4 total – but later revealed that she was unaware anything was going wrong with the event’s production.
“Honestly, this is going to sound insane, but as soon as I started climbing I did not notice. I think I was so focused on what I was doing that I had no idea,” said Frangos.
“When I’m in my zone, my flow state, I don’t hear much. I’m just focused on getting the next hold.”
The competition had a lengthy 35 minute delay following Frangos’ climb. When the finals resumed, USA’s Natalia Grossman (172.4 points) won the event and qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
About the delay, Grossman told olympics.com that "I think it actually helped me 'cause I was able to just fuel up and then rest. And so by the time I was on the wall, all the carbs had kicked in and I was like, let's go.”
Only 15 spots are up for grabs at other Olympic qualifying events until June 2024.
In second place was USA’s Brooke Raboutou (165.4 points) and in third was Canada’s Yip (128.7 points).
Chapman was eighth (85.8 points).
For Frangos, her major events are done in 2023 and she will focus on competing in lead during the 2024 world cup season. As one of the inaugural 10 Canadian sport climbers competing at the mega multi-sport event in Santiago, it’s something she will “remember for the rest of my life.”
