After missing the final of the 2019 World Championship in which all finalists clinched Olympic berths, Coleman snatched the sixth and final quota spot at an Olympic qualifying event in Toulouse, France. Throughout that competition, he says he repeatedly muttered to himself, "C'mon man, be real, it's not going to happen. You're not going to make it."
Then, in Tuesday's Olympic qualification round, Coleman recovered from disappointing results in both speed and bouldering with a clutch top-five finish on the lead wall to snag the eighth and final spot in the medal round.
In a sport which demands equal amounts of mental strength and physical strength, Coleman delivered the performance of his life on the biggest stage in the sport's history.
"This is a goal that, I couldn't have even really acknowledged it. So to have achieved it, it's insane," Coleman said after receiving the silver medal.
Sport climbing was added to the Olympic program as one of five new sports for the Tokyo Games, elevating it into the global sporting mainstream after decades of growing popularity as a niche sport.
Coleman, who picked up climbing at age nine to overcome a fear of heights, acknowledged the significance of the moment for the sport globally and in his home country.
"It's an honor," Coleman said. "I'm really excited for the future of climbing in the United States and the future of climbing in the Olympics."
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