Mickael and Bassa Mawem will be the sole sibling pair in the Tokyo 2020 Sport Climbing event, occupying the men's quota places for France. Their journey to Tokyo has been circuitous and uncertain; the brothers describe having started out in life with 'le révers de la médaille,' — the flipside of the coin, or the short straw. Shaped by an unsettled childhood that was stabilised by their resilient mother, who strove to give her sons the opportunity to succeed, the brothers reversed their fortunes through sheer determination and hard work.

As the pair prepare for the postponed Tokyo Games, Bassa and Mickael shared the story of their family and climbing origins, described their bond as brothers and business partners in building their brand, discussed diversity in climbing and explained how their mother's unyielding determination inspired them to tackle adversity — in everyday life, or in training — head-on and with conviction. In Tokyo and, they hope, Paris 2024, the brothers will compete to bring home medals for the Mawem family, where a win for one would be a win for all; there's no 'I' in Team Mawem.

Fantastic article. Great to see professional climbers with an ethnic background explain their experiences regarding race and perception themselves. Really enjoyed reading this, best of luck to them.

Fantastic article. Chapeau Natalie Berry for the interview and to the Mawem brother's for being out- and well spoken.

For more about Micka's training, Relais Vertical has two videos:  youtube.com/watch?v=EWhibaFuiC4& and  youtube.com/watch?v=ykmSRSGP8Rc&