After Historic Climbing Debut, Kyra Condie's Olympic Journey Comes To An End

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Kyra Condie's journey at the Tokyo Olympics as part of the historic debut of sport climbing has come to an end.

During the combined qualifying event Wednesday, the 25-year-old Shoreview native competed in speed climbing, bouldering and lead climbing. Her combined score put her in 11th place in a field of 20, outside the top eight, which will advance to the combined finals on Friday.

In an Instagram post, Condie wrote that while she was disappointed with her final result, she was proud to compete on the world stage. "I am, and forever will be, an Olympian," she wrote.

In the qualifying round, Condie performed best in speed, where climbers rush up a wall against the clock, coming in seventh place. In bouldering, a ropeless form of climbing in which athletes solve short but powerful "problems," she didn't fare as well, despite being a bouldering specialist. She only topped one of the routes, putting her in 11th place. In lead climbing, where athletes attempt to scale a long, difficult route, Condie slipped midway, putting her again in 11th place.

RELATED: Minnesota's Kyra Condie Overcomes Back Surgery To Reach Olympic Rings

Condie's American teammate, Brooke Raboutou of Colorado, advanced to the finals. She qualified in fifth place overall, having earned second in bouldering and eighth in lead. She'll be the only American to take on Miho Nonaka of Japan, Seo Chae-hyun of South Korea, and the woman widely-regarded as the top competitor, Janja Garnbret of Slovenia. Garnbret finished first in qualifiers, with a perfect score in bouldering and a second-place finish in speed.

Condie's journey to the Olympics began when she was 11 after she was introduced to the sport at a birthday party at the Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul. As a child, she dreamed of competing in national and international events. At age 13, she overcame a significant back surgery to correct severe scoliosis, progressing to become one of the nation's top climbers even as a number of her vertebrae are fused together.

In her Instagram post, Condie commented on the effect the surgery still has on her climbing. "I feel like with my spinal fusion it's a reality that I sometimes have to have luck on my side with the routesetting, today wasn't that day," she said.

Both men on the U.S. climbing team, Colin Duffy of Colorado and Nathaniel Coleman of Utah, qualified for the men's combined finals, which will be held Thursday. This is the first year that sport climbing has been an event at the summer games.