DALLAS — Did you know the fastest climber in the world is from Southlake? At 18 years old, he just earned a bronze medal in his first Olympics.
"To be that good is definitely a big shock, and something I haven’t truly comprehended," Sam Watson told WFAA. "But it does mean a lot."
Watson started climbing at just five years old. He started climbing pillars in his house, he said, and his parents decided they needed to find him a safer outlet. 13 years later, he just earned a bronze medal in his Olympic debut.
"It was very emotional, very cool," Watson said.
He made history in Paris with a world record-breaking time of 4.75 seconds in speed climbing. That match was a direct elimination event, and after breaking the record, Watson lost in the semifinals.
"It’s like man, I just lost the most important race of my life. But now I have the second most right now, in five minutes," Watson said.
Sent to the bronze medal race, Watson locked in. He didn’t just win bronze, he also broke his own world record time, now 4.74 seconds.
"Getting to watch him in Paris felt like a fever dream," David Moreno, assistant director at Watson's home gym, Movement, told WFAA.
He watched Watson work for this for years.
"It’s just pride, pride."
Moreno told WFAA that Watson's bronze medal finish is already doing wonders in growing the niche sport.
"People are coming in, recognizing the name, and the face, and the space," he explained.
In just days, Watson will start his freshman year of college at the University of Utah. There’s no telling what’s next for him, but one thing is for sure.
"I will always have this," Watson said, holding his bronze medal. "I will never not be an Olympic medalist...I really did find some validation in that this is permanent, this is a lifetime achievement."