Japanese sport climber Akiyo Noguchi's Tokyo Games were to be her Olympic debut and finale, and teammate Miho Nonaka helped make it an ending to remember.
The 32-year-old Noguchi, who said she would retire after these Olympics, finished third, one step down on the women's podium on Friday as Nonaka came second in the sport's Olympic debut.
"Miho and I have gone through so much together for so long. We wanted to both win Olympic medals together. Gold and silver would have been better, but I'm so happy being on the podium together," Noguchi said.
Noguchi, who has excelled at bouldering, appeared to be off to a hot start, a fourth-place on the speed wall, but then fell victim to a fiendishly difficult bouldering layout, that foiled everyone but world champion and eventual gold medalist Slovene Janja Garnbret.
But despite her setback on the three bouldering problems, where she again finished fourth, Noguchi found her second wind in the final discipline, the lead climb.
"From the standpoint of my placing, I did well in the speed," she said. "I'm best at bouldering but I thought my heart was going to break when I didn't master even one problem. In the lead, however, which would be my last discipline here and my last-ever climb, I just went all out."
"I was fatigued and at my limit, but I pushed forward on willpower."
Willpower was not in short supply in the final.
Nonaka, 24, said she had been in pain during qualifying and that the final was more of an ordeal than she would have liked.
"The frustrating thing was that I was unable to enjoy it much," she said.
"Of course, I wanted to deliver my best possible performance, but all along my desire was to win a medal alongside Kyo-chan. Now that this has become a reality, I'm overjoyed."
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Olympics: Japan's Nonaka, Noguchi 2nd, 3rd women's sport climbing
