With a near-perfect score of 79.6 for part one of the semi-final, Oceania is placed fourth ahead of the Lead semi-final.
Returning for her second Games with only the boulder section of the semi-finals completed, the Victorian has already improved on her Tokyo 2020 performance, where she placed 19th in the combined format.
Paris 2024 has separated the Sport Climbing disciplines into Speed and a combined Boulder & Lead, playing right into the 22-year-old’s strengths.
Taking a mere 1 minute 20 seconds to solve the first problem, she achieved a perfect score, being one of only two competitors to do so.
“I went out to the first boulder, I was actually feeling quite nervous. But I saw that it was quite my style,” Oceania said.
“I was feeling confident and determined and knew that if I just went at it, I could flash it and do it on my first try. From then on, I was feeling pretty good.”
The four boulders (also known as problems) are designed to target a specific skill set: technically difficult, powerfully difficult, coordination, and the final, which represents a style called “electric.”
Each boulder is worth a maximum of 25 points, with 100 points up for grabs in this section of the semi-finals. Delivering a near-flawless run (1: 25.0, 2: 24.9, 3: 24.8, 4: 4.9), Oceania scaled the wall to solve her problems, and the crowd was on her side.
“The crowd was just perfect. I was feeling good on the wall. I was smiling, feeling the vibes.
“Paris has been absolutely amazing. Coming out of lockdown into Tokyo and not really having the preparation that I wanted, we couldn't experience the whole thing.
“So being here in Paris and with the huge crowd, especially with all my friends, it's so special.”
Oceania will be back in action for the Lead portion of the Women’s Boulder & Lead semi-finals on 8 August at 6:00 pm AEST.
Fellow Australian Campbell Harrison will continue his semi-final efforts when the men return to the wall for lead climbing on Wednesday, 7 August at 6:00 pm AEST.
