Nathaniel Coleman


Nathaniel Coleman is an American sport climber. He became the first American male climber to qualify to the Olympic Games after advancing to the final at IFSC Combined Qualifier Toulouse 2019 in November–December, 2019, a qualifying event for the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
From 2016 to 2018, Coleman won three straight USA Climbing Bouldering Open National Championships, and finished 2nd in the 2019 competition. He also finished second in the 2019 Combined Invitational. Coleman won the 2020 USA Climbing Bouldering Open National Championships. Coleman also finished 4th overall in bouldering at the 2015 IFSC Climbing World Cup, winning silver medals in Toronto and Vail.
As a youth competitor, Coleman won the age group events at the USA Climbing Youth Bouldering Nationals in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
When Nathaniel was a few months shy of turning 10, a friend convinced him to check out the newly opened Momentum climbing gym in Sandy, Utah, a state-of-the-art lead and bouldering facility. Nathaniel was blown away by the steep lead section, a 40-foot black-and brown-prow towering over the main entrance like a concrete wave. He liked the combination of the physical challenge and the problem-solving aspects of the sport. The thing that really kept him coming back for more, however, was the team, which he joined immediately.
At 14, Nathaniel took fourth at Youth Bouldering Nationals in Boulder, Colorado. He recalled, “That was the moment when I thought, O.K., if I just stay at this level for the next five years, then when I get into open, I’ll be on the National Team.”