The making of the British spiderman: How Olympic climbing gold medallist Toby ‘the Terminator’ Roberts, 19, honed his skills on lockdown climbing wall that his dad built in their back garden during Covid

At just 19-years-old Toby Roberts has done something no other Brit has been able to do before – securing Team GB‘s first-ever climbing medal at the Olympics. 

The sensational feat, which saw him best some of the world’s top climbers to earn a 14th British gold this summer, marked a fairytale ending for the Surrey-born teen who took up the sport just over a decade ago. 

It was in 2016, when the sport’s debut was announced for the Tokyo games in 2016, that a 12-year-old Toby hatched his plan to make it to Paris. 

With the help of his non-climber father, who also acts as his rope-holder, coach and driver, Roberts went on to bag multiple medals and world firsts as he broke out onto the climbing world stage. 

His gold medal will hopefully not be the last and marks the first step in a what could be a bright future for GB’s climbing team. 

Toby’s career began much earlier, with Toby recording his first climb at just three years old during a family day out. 

Four years later he joined his first climbing club and at just 10 years old was already making a name for himself as he became the youngest-ever Brit to scale the Raindogs route at Malham Cove. 

It was just a couple of years later that he set his sights on the Olympics just as the climbing’s debut was announced for the Tokyo games in 2016.

He and his father Tristian planned out his route to biggest of world stages, with the DIY dad, and part time coach, even building a wall in their garden to allow Toby to practice his climbing during the Covid pandemic.

‘During lockdown, Toby had to take a year out from competitions, so we built a climbing wall in our garden that measures 3.6 square metres and has varying angles on it – 40, 50 and 60 degrees,’ Tristian told RadioTimes on Thursday. 

The first major competition he entered as part of his preparations was the Lead  World Cup in Edinburgh in 2022. 

Toby placed third, earning himself the nickname ‘the Terminator’ and Britain’s first lead World Cup medal in 28 years. 

With one piece of silverware already in hand, Toby was ‘psyched’ to start the next season. 

He went from strength to strength, as he continued to amaze the climbing world by sealing the top sport at the Boulder World Cup in Italy in 2023. 

Toby celebrated his win his first ever pint of beer, which he described as ‘disappointing’. No doubt he prefers the taste of victory. 

Weeks later Toby gained another medal in the Lead World Cup in France, this time securing a gold medal. 

It was the first time a Brit had ever won gold in both disciplines. 

And as Toby continued to break records as he looked to secure his spot in the Paris Olympics. 

He secured a victory at the 2023 European Qualifiers in October, making him the first man to qualify Team GB with a climbing quota place. 

And, as surely everybody knows by know, his Olympic debut did not disappoint as on Friday Toby secured a sensational Olympic gold medal for Team GB in a gripping men’s boulder and lead final – again making history in the process.

The 19-year-old took the top step on the podium after scoring an impressive 92.1 points on the lead wall, moving his overall score to 155.2. 

By doing so Roberts secured Team GB’s first-ever climbing medal at the Olympics and a 14th British gold this summer. 

Japan’s Sorato Anraku, widely viewed as the overwhelming favourite to clinch the title in Paris, fell on his final climb shortly after passing the 60-point mark.

That meant that Anraku settled for the silver while Austria’s Jakob Schubert secured the bronze. Britain’s other competitor, Hamish McArthur, finished fifth.

Unable to believe his win, Roberts placed his head in his hands in disbelief after Anraku slipped on the ascent up the wall at the Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue.

‘I am just lost for words,’ Roberts told the BBC after his sensational victory. 

‘To find out that I had got the gold in that moment was truly incredible.

‘I’ve been training for this moment my whole life. To say that is hasn’t sunk in is an understatement. It’s a goal I’ve been training for, for 10 years. I’m in disbelief.’