Aleksandra Mirosław celebrates winning Poland’s first gold medal of the Paris Olympics.
Aleksandra Mirosław was stood poised at the base of a 15-meter climbing wall, waiting for three pips of a buzzer to signal the start of her race. Six seconds later, she was an Olympic champion.
And not just any Olympic champion; Mirosław became the first-ever gold medalist in the sport of speed climbing on Wednesday, defeating China’s Deng Lijuan in the final.
“A long story short, it’s like a dream come true moment,” she said. “It’s as simple as that. … It’s the first [gold medal] in history, so it’s really awesome. I’m really happy and really proud of myself. It will be with me forever.”