Jesse Grupper Is Going to the Olympics

American Jesse Grupper is going to be an Olympian. Today, at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Grupper pulled off an amazing performance to win the Boulder & Lead Combined gold medal and a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics. “It feels unreal, for sure,” said Grupper after his victory. “It’s an incredible moment for me. I’ve dreamt about this since I was a little kid, and it is so meaningful to see it through to fruition and have it actually happen.”

Grupper placed fourth in the Boulder round and therefore desperately needed a strong performance on the lead wall if he was to win gold. The 27-year-old did just that and earned an impressive 92.1 points in the Lead round, well ahead of any other competitor – the closest was fellow American Sean Bailey with 57.1 points.

“I knew that I [needed] some points to make up for from the Boulder round,” said Grupper about his comp performance. “I was proud of the Boulder round, honestly. I think I’ve pulled out some moves that I don’t know I would have been able to do a year ago, but I also wanted to fight as hard as I could on the Lead wall. Coming out, I took one move at a time. I knew that every move would matter, especially on that headwall, and I’m really glad that I was able to pull that out and make it happen.”

In 2022, Grupper had a breakout season on the World Cup circuit, winning two golds, one silver, and one bronze. This year, he didn’t have as much success, although he did earn silver in Koper. Grupper will be joined at the Paris Olympics by Team USA member Colin Duffy, who won his Olympic qualifying spot earlier this year at the World Championships in Bern.

At today’s Pan Am Games, Grupper was joined on the podium by USA teammates Sean Bailey in second and Zach Galla in third. Canadians Sean McColl, Oscar Baudrand, and Victor Baudrand placed behind them in fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. McColl placed first in the Boulder round but just missed a podium finish due to his fifth place performance in Lead.

Final Results

1. Jesse Grupper 161.5 (USA)
2. Sean Bailey 141.6 (USA)
3. Zach Galla 138.5 (USA)
4. Sean McColl 132.6 (CAN)
5. Oscar Baudrand 87.4 (CAN)
6. Victor Baudrand 83.1 (CAN)
7. Benjamin Vargas 58.0 (CHI)
8. Thor Villegas 53.1 (MEX)

Boulder Round Results

1. Sean McColl 85.5 (CAN)
2. Sean Bailey 85.5 (USA)
3. Zach Galla 84.4 (USA)
4. Jesse Grupper 69.4 (USA)
5. Oscar Baudrand 69.3 (CAN)
6. Benjamin Vargas 39.9 (CHI)
7. Thor Villegas 35.0 (MEX)
8. Victor Baudrand 35.0 (CAN)

Lead Round Results

1. Jesse Grupper 92.1 (USA)
2. Sean Bailey 57.1 (USA)
3. Zach Galla 54.1 (USA)
4. Victor Baudrand 48.1 (CAN)
5. Sean McColl 48.1 (CAN)
6. Thor Villegas 18.1 (MEX)
7. Benjamin Vargas 18.1 (CHI)
8. Oscar Baudrand 18.1 (CAN)