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For this ���������� Engineering student, Olympic climbing and applied math are both just matters of finding solutions

Colin Duffy is like any other applied math junior, juggling courses in probability, dynamics and chemistry. But as he walks across the quad, his mind isn’t just on acing his midterm — he is also thinking about the 2028 Olympic Summer Games.

A Broomfield native, Duffy is a sport climber and two-time U.S. Olympian.

“I started competing at 8 years old on the youth circuit,” Duffy said. “I had no idea where the journey would go.”

At the 2024 Paris Games, he finished fourth in men’s bouldering and lead combined. Duffy has also twice won the International Federation of Sport Climbing World Youth Championship and is a 10-time USA Climbing Youth National Champion.

Climbing is his first love, but he brings equal passion to math.

“I love the problem-solving nature of it, that the answers are so tangible and you’re finding a definite solution,” he said. “The same approach goes into climbing — finding the individual steps to make it to the top of a climb. Solving a problem in a math class is similar. You put all the parts together to get that answer.”

As he progressed in climbing as a teen, earning high marks at state, regional and, eventually, international competitions, Duffy was also challenging himself intellectually.

“My high school had a pretty good math program. I completed courses up to differential equations. I always resonated with the math and engineering side. For college, I wanted to pursue something interesting, even though it’s on the harder side,” he said.

Being a world-class athlete and a college student has been less of a challenge than Duffy anticipated. Climbing competitions are typically during summer months, leaving the rest of the year for coursework. His training regimen is year-round, but it doesn’t require complex routines or coaches.

“Most of the time I just go and climb. I’m not doing training-specific exercises or weightlifting,” he said.

Duffy’s goal after graduation is to become a professional climber. His prowess in competition has already given him a chance to meet and compete with athletes he has admired for years. At the Paris Olympics, that included sharing the stage with idols from all sports.

“It’s an honor. It’s such a grand experience to be among these huge performers,” he said. “This year the opening ceremony was on the Seine River, and to be on the same boat with LeBron James and Steph Curry was wild.”

In some traditional team sports, athletes can be adversarial toward each other. But climbing is different, Duffy said. Climbers are typically not competing against each other, and the sideline atmosphere is one of camaraderie and friendship.

“It’s a very positive environment. Even in the tensest of moments, after it’s over, there’s no hard feelings. We’re not going head to head with each other. It’s us versus the wall,” he said.