At 36, Bassa Mawem is the Oldest Climber Going to the Tokyo Olympics… And he’s a father
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Bassa Mawem, 36, is the oldest climber on the Olympic roster. Bassa is from France and the older brother of another qualified Olympian, Mickael Mawem.
To be clear, Bassa is stronger than you. A good bit stronger. Have a look at this Turkish get-up…using his son.
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With his brother, the duo are the strongest set of kin going to Tokyo. Bassa is a speed specialist, having earned a silver medal in Speed at the 2018 World Championships. More recently, Bassa won Speed at the World Cup in Moscow, Russia, in April 2019. There he clocked a run time of 5.656 seconds, which, at the time, was close to the record. The new record is held by a machine with legs, aka the Indonesian phenom Veddriq Leonardo.
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Bassa has been competing on the World Cup scene for years, making him somewhat synonymous with global competition climbing of the past decade. However, unlike many other Olympians who learned to climb as toddlers, Mawem was a natural athlete who did not pick up climbing until age 15. But he quickly proved proficient in all disciplines, and even took part in the first French Ninja Warrior broadcast.
Here is a clip of his equally talented brother, Mickael.
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Together, they run the handle @lesfreresmawemofficiel. It’s outstanding, go check them out.
Learn more about the Olympic athletes here.
Feature image by Eddie Fowke/IFSC
Francis Sanzaro can be found here. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Gym Climber and Ascent.