Tokyo 2020: Great Britain's Will Bosi seeks Olympic sport climbing place

Britain's Will Bosi admits attempting to master three climbing disciplines is a "massive challenge" but is backing himself to qualify for Tokyo 2020.

Sport climbing makes its Olympic debut next year as a triathlon-style competition with speed, bouldering and lead forming a combined event.

Bosi needs a top-six finish in Toulouse this week to reach the Games.

"It would be a dream to go to the Olympics," he tells BBC Sport.

"It's difficult because we're basically having to learn and masters three different sports, which is like doing a 100m sprint, the 400m and then a 5,000m," he adds.

"I know it will be a tough competition but I grew up watching the Olympics and I'm going to do everything possible [to get there] now my sport is in too."

Team-mate Shauna Coxsey claimed a place in the Games by winning World bronze in August, and Bosi has switched his base from Edinburgh to Sheffield in order to train alongside the multiple bouldering World Cup champion.

"Lead has always been my specialism and it's the opposite end of the scale to bouldering in terms of it being an endurance event," he says.

"Training with Shauna is so useful because new styles and technical aspects usually come into boulder before they make it into lead, and I'm picking up things that are making a massive difference."

The Scottish climber believes he has also made significant improvements in his speed climbing in recent months after his girlfriend, Elle Duffield, learned Russian.

"She's very smart and basically the brains of the operation," Bosi says with a smile.

Duffield, who is a climber herself, says: "The best speed nations in the world are the likes of France, Russia and China."

"I already knew French and could watch their videos online but they don't tend to share much, whereas the Russians do. So I've been learning that [language] so I can understand what they're explaining and then work that into Will's speed programme."

While the overall reaction to sport climbing's inclusion in the Olympics has been positive, some athletes expressed frustration that the traditionally specialist disciplines of speed bouldering and lead climbing were combined for one medal event per gender.

Multiple bouldering and lead world champion Adam Ondra of the Czech Republic initially suggested he would not bid to take part in Tokyo 2020 by way of protest.

However he and many others have now changed their opinion due to the growth of the sport and attention it has received in the build-up to the Games.

"The sport has got a lot bigger here in the UK, where there are climbing centres being expanded and new ones popping up all the time," reveals Bosi.

"The style of climbing is changing and bouldering is becoming more gymnastic and explosive, which fans love to watch. Going into the Olympics is also pushing up the standard massively."

If Bosi fails to achieve the desired top-six result at the IFSC Combined qualifier in France this week he will have one final opportunity to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics via the sport's European championships in Moscow next March.