Utah Climber Makes Olympic Debut In Tokyo

TOKYO — Another Salt Lake City woman begins her Olympic career Tuesday night as women’s climbing gets going in Tokyo, one day after the men began their competition.

It’s the first time climbing has been an Olympic sport.

The first time you see it, don’t be surprised if you can’t believe it.

It takes the brain a few runs to comprehend how humans can climb so fast.

For the Condie family, though, they’re used to all this climbing because their daughter, Kyra, started doing it early.

“From the moment I started reading stories to her on the couch, she was climbing on my shoulders,” said Tom Condie, Kyra’s father.

“Climbing on top of the fridge,” said Kyra’s mother, Cathy Condie. “We had to actually take her out of her crib early because I was afraid she was going to fall off because she would climb out of the crib.”

Maybe because of all that early training, Kyra Condie is now one of the best climbers in the world.

She moved to Salt Lake City from Minnesota about a couple of years ago to train with USA Climbing.

“I am so proud of Kyra — everything she’s done and how hard she has worked,” said Cathy.

Condie is so good she also made the US Olympic Team and is about to compete in Tokyo for a medal.

“It’s just incredible,” said Tom. “You grow up watching the Olympics. Every four years you would see them, and then they’re there. You’re like, ‘Wow, these people are incredible.’ And now, it’s your daughter there, right? It is just crazy.”

Watching her compete is something the whole family does.

KSL’s Alex Cabrero caught up with them a couple of months ago during a World Cup climbing event in Salt Lake City.

They came because family members aren’t allowed to attend the Games in Tokyo. So the World Cup climbing event was kind of their Olympics.

“My whole family is here to support me since they can’t go to Tokyo,” said Kyra. “I’m really excited they’re here. I love when they come to watch, so I feel very supported. Ha!”

Her parents were there for her first steps, and no doubt, Kyra will feel their support almost half a world away as she takes her first steps up a wall as an Olympian.

“I mean, it’s a bummer I can’t go, of course, but how can you be disappointed when my daughter is going to the Olympics?” said Cathy.

Preliminaries take place later this afternoon here in Tokyo at 5 p.m., that’s 2 a.m. in Salt Lake City.

If Kyra does well enough, she’ll make the finals, which are on Friday.

If you saw the men’s competition on TV, you can see why a lot of people are talking about Olympic climbing right now.