For only the second time, the Olympics will feature sport climbing. And for the second time, the games will also feature Colin Duffy, of Broomfield, Colo. The 20-year-old CU engineering student hopes to best his 7th-place finish in Tokyo in 2021.
“Whenever I actually compete, it’s just having fun, once in a while, taking a step back and looking at all the bright lights and the big crowd, and just smiling.”
Duffy, who appears to glide as much as climb, spoke with Colorado Matters Senior Host Ryan Warner at The Spot in Louisville, where he trains during competition season.
Editor’s note: This interview transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Ryan Warner: I want to see this rock wall through your eyes.
Colin Duffy: The first thing I'm looking for is trying to find what the most difficult climb is going to be, or getting engaged for how hard each of the routes is. I know most of the holds, so I know how good they are to grab at different angles. It's kind of a blur of colors and pieces of metal, but, to me, I'm seeing kind of a full picture.
Warner: When you go to one gym over and over again, is it hard to find new paths? Is it hard to be creative?
Duffy: Usually, once I run out of climbs or if I finish everything in a gym, I'm pretty good at making up my own stuff. That can be eliminating holds on an already existing route. You can mix and match colors and create your own path and yeah, I have a very good imagination when it comes to climbing, which I'm very fortunate about.
Warner: How much do you get to climb in a natural environment versus a gym like this?
Duffy: I climb on rock a lot when the competition season is not happening. That's usually from August until March. Colorado is awesome for outdoor climbing. There are places all over the front range and up in Estes Park, and so I take advantage of actually climbing on real rock and not spending all of my time in these gyms.
Warner: I remember when we talked some years ago, you told me that you used to climb on furniture in your childhood home, and on exercise bikes and railings. How often now at 20 do you look at things that aren't necessarily meant to be climbed and think about climbing them?
Duffy: When I am at my house, climbers are always grabbing door frames, still just testing if you can hang on it. When I'm walking around, if there's a brick building, I make sure to touch the bricks and see if I could climb it. It's fun to always be imagining yourself climbing something – even at this age. Using your imagination is good.
Warner: You are enrolled in the engineering school at CU Boulder.
Duffy: Yeah. I'm an applied math major. I have a focus in mechanical engineering, so I basically take a lot of the mechanical engineering courses that aren't building stuff, more solving. It's all problem-solving. And that is very similar to climbing. It's a very analytical sport. While it's certainly physical, and you have to have enough strength to pull yourself to the top, there's a lot of planning and problem-solving that goes on the wall, and so I find that that problem-solving mindset is very applicable.
Warner: Are you good at games, crossword puzzles or Sudoku? Does the problem-solving translate to any of that stuff?
Duffy: Sometimes. I think I'm not bad at those games. When I was younger, I had a big fixation for Rubik's cubes, and I'm still quite good at them. So that's definitely my go-to puzzle.
Warner: I want to talk about your hands. How do you maintain what are, I imagine, your key tool?
Duffy: For sure. Having strong fingers and good skin for climbing is one of the most important things. Over the years, I guess I’ve built up very strong calluses and I have pretty good skin for climbing. It doesn't wear down too easily. A climber's biggest problem is their fingertips, and so I have a lot of products that I put on them to help them heal faster. I'm very often using nail clippers and a file to get rid of any little cuts or something like that.
Warner: I expected your hands to be way more chewed-up-looking than they are.
Duffy: I think they're not as bad as normal, but I'm lucky that I have never bled from my fingertips or anything.
Warner: Before we talk about Paris, I want to go back to 2022. I watched this crazy event where these judges did not seem to be paying attention to what you were doing. You were made to do a bouldering event three times. You were pretty frustrated, understandably, at the end. Can you explain why you were made to do this three times?
Duffy: In a competition, when you begin a climb, you have to have a controlled position, which just means being completely still, no movement (to show) that you could hold that position. And so it was a really very strange starting position. All of the athletes in the final were confused about how to approach the problem, but I was able to have an uncontrolled start and then I continued into the climb. I was climbing very fast and ended up getting to the top before they went back and decided that I actually was not controlled.
Warner: But you had checked with the judges to see if your start was okay!
Duffy: Yeah, I think it all happened very fast. They were still deliberating and that rule doesn't come up super often, so they weren't really sure how to handle it. It was a crazy situation. I was definitely frustrated in the moment, but looking back, it was exhilarating, and a good learning experience.
Warner: You placed seventh in Tokyo. What are your hopes for Paris?
Duffy: Finishing seventh in Tokyo was an amazing experience. I was able to compete in the final. Going into Paris, obviously, I've had three more years of experience. I've been competing internationally over the last few years and finding success there, so I'm not putting any placement results on myself. But if I can be in the best shape possible and just enjoy the moment and climb confidently and smartly, then whatever the result is, I'll be happy. But of course, I'm shooting for making it back to the final and hopefully standing on a podium.
Warner: What does that look like ‘to enjoy the moment’ when you're in the Olympics?
Duffy: I think it starts with appreciating the Olympic Village and seeing all the athletes from different walks of life. One of my favorite things in Tokyo was going to the dining hall and seeing NBA basketball players and rhythmic gymnasts, just any sport you could imagine, people of all shapes and sizes. Whenever I actually compete, it’s just having fun and, once in a while, taking a step back and looking at all the bright lights and the big crowd, and just smiling.
Warner: How does an Olympian find calm when the heart is racing and the pressure is on?
Duffy: I like to think back to other moments where I've handled pressure. Like back in Tokyo, I performed very well, and so I know that I've done it in the past. And I look forward to handling the pressure again.
