Sport Climber Wins Indonesia's First Gold Medal at Paris Olympics, Earns Hefty Bonus

Veddriq Leonardo won the first men's gold medal in Speed sport climbing in Olympics history.

Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia celebrates winning the country's first gold medal at the Paris Olympics during the men's Speed sport climbing gold medal match at Le Bourget Climbing Venue in Le Bourget, France on Thursday, August 8. / Screengrab @Olympics

Just a day after Poland's Aleksandra Miroslaw made history in winning the inaugural women's gold medal in Speed sport climbing, Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia did the same, defeating China's Wu Peng with a personal-best time of 4.75 seconds in the gold medal match.

Not only was Leonardo's gold the first-ever in Speed, a standalone sport climbing event in the Olympics, it was also the first gold medal won by Indonesia at the Paris Games.

"I feel so amazing," Leonardo told the Olympics's website. "This was always my dream, and today I made my dream cone true. All of Indonesia is proud of this gold medal."

VEDDRIQ LEONARDO! FIRST GOLD OF PARIS 2024 FOR INDONESIA! 🥇🇮🇩 pic.twitter.com/pwCpjOAQxj

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 8, 2024

In the process, Leonardo, the 2023 World Cup champion in Speed, earned himself a hefty cash bonus. Indonesian athletes who win a gold medal at the Olympics are paid a bonus worth $300,000 in American dollars, according to CNBC. By comparison, American athletes who win gold are paid a bonus of about $38,000.

All in a day's work for Leonardo, who was joined on the medal stand by China's Peng, who won silver, and Sam Watson of the United States, who earned bronze.