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Sport Climbing Australia is pleased to announce Andrew Chen, Irene Torrealba, Alex MacInnes and Khosro Hashemzadeh as the new National Coaching Team.

Having previously held the role of National Assistant Team Coach last year, Andrew Chen has stepped into the role of the Coaching Team Manager. He says he is excited about "the breadth of skills and experience in the team this year, as well as the combined total outreach. It feels like we're turning a fresh leaf and stepping into a new chapter for Australian climbing".

Irene Torrealba and Alex MacInnes both hold ASCA Strength and Conditioning accreditations and have multi-sport experience in State Institute environments. They are excited to drive athlete wellbeing and climbing performance through evidence based practise, with their individual passions lying in the areas of neurobiology and physical preparation. Having previously competed at IFSC World Cup Events for Iran, Khosro Hashemzadeh brings valuable insight and International competition experience to complete the new team of coaches.

The National Coaching Team recently hosted an online Oceania Olympic Qualifier information session to support athletes focused on Paris 2024. With only two climbing events on offer at the Olympics (combined Boulder/Lead and Speed), the pressure is on for athletes to be climbing at their best when it counts. The top competitors at the August World Championships in Switzerland will automatically qualify, with three Boulder/Lead and two Speed quotas available per gender. The next opportunity (and the only one on home soil) for Australian climbers to qualify for the Games is the IFSC Oceania Qualification Event in November.

Andrew, Irene, Alex and Khosro will work closely with the National Team Physiotherapist Katie Kaminsky to support athletes in training and to perform at their best in competitions. The next IFSC World Cup event will take place in Chamonix in early July, featuring Oceana Mackenzie, Emily Scott and Campbell Harrison in Lead and Grace Crowley, Chad Horton and Hayden Barton in Speed.

Photo credit: vladekzumr.com

Overall competition rankings are available here.

We would not be able to put together such incredible events without the support of our host gyms and partners.

Event Hosts:

Nomad Bouldering

Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym Villawood

Gold Partner:

Kilter Grips

Silver Partners:

Rae-Line

Snap Holds

Partner:

Grizzly Holds

Officials and Volunteers

We are very grateful to have an incredible event team and volunteers supporting the running of the event. A massive THANK YOU to all of those involved.

Sport Climbing Australia open team member Grace Crowley has taken on the USA’s top speed climbers at the 2021 Yeti National Championships in Utah, USA. 

The 18-year-old Brunswick East local qualified for semi-finals after receiving a last-minute invitation to compete in the November 13 event. Crowley recorded a time of 11.95, finishing in 13th place against 16 of the USA’s strongest climbers.

Speed climbing requires two competitors at a time to race each other, and the clock, to the top of a 15m wall with a 5 degree incline. Speed climbing made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where it was combined with the boulder and lead disciplines to determine the world’s first Olympic sport climbing medallists.

Full Results from the 2021 Yeti National Championships available here.

The 17-year-old Blue Mountains local was announced as a Red Bull team member in October.

Sport Climbing Australia’s national team member Angie Scarth-Johnson has been announced as a Red Bull sponsored athlete. 17-year-old Angie officially became part of Red Bull’s ranks in October, and will have the opportunity to join some of the world’s best climbers on team trips.

Angie started climbing at age seven and first stamped her name in the record books at just nine, when she became the youngest person to ever lead a grade 31 climb, “Swingline” at Red River Gorge, USA. A year later, Angie set yet another record, as the youngest person to lead a grade 32/33.

Based in the Blue Mountains, Angie is a member of Sport Climbing Australia’s national open team, and spends much of her year travelling, competing, and climbing abroad.

https://www.olympics.com.au/news/ohalloran-makes-olympic-debut-alongside-sport-climbing/

Will Hammersla 20.7.21 FOR PODCAST.mp3

Australian Olympians Tom O'Halloran and Oceania Mackenzie are preparing to depart for Tokyo 2020.  They will be competing in Sport Climbing's for Olympic outing as part of a cohort of 20 male and 20 female athletes.  

The event will be held in the combined format with the winner determined by the ranking of the results from speed, lead and boulder.  

Tom and Oceania are two of 488 athletes from Australia competing at the games.  You can find out more about the team here: 

https://www.olympics.com.au/games/tokyo-2020/team/ 

You can support Tom and Oceania by buying and wearing some of our supporter merch!  

https://sportclimbingaustralia.org.au/Online-Shop

Adaptive climber Sarah Larcombe has been named the recipient of a scholarship from prestigious outdoor brand La Sportiva.

As regular competition schedules resume, the Melbourne local is looking forward to vying for a place on the Australian Paraclimbing Team for the first time. Sarah has her sights set on the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) circuit, and would like to see paraclimbing included in the Olympic Games by 2028.

She said, “The gear provided to me from this scholarship definitely takes some of the financial pressure off being involved in climbing. I'm also so happy that major brands like La Sportiva are investing in paraclimbers and the development of our sport, and I'm proud to be able to represent my community in this position.”

Sarah is also an accomplished outdoor climber, who has recently been learning traditional climbing skills at Arapiles (Djurite).

“I'd also love to set some more ambitious outdoor climbing goals,” she said. “Half Dome [in the USA’s Yosemite National Park], maybe?”

In addition to focusing on her own climbing career, Sarah is on the Adaptive Climbing Victoria board. The organisation supports adaptive climbers to participate in sport climbing competitively and socially.

The National Youth  Championships selection policy remains similar than the previous years with the state organisation being in charge of selecting their teams.

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the following exceptional rules are set:

- The maximum quota for each state may be reviewed in the lead-up to the event. Quota will be confirmed ​3 weeks prior to the start of the event. - State Bodies are required to submit a list of selected athletes (including their contact email) for each category discipline at the latest ​4 weeks prior to the start of the event. - Athletes must be ranked by the State Body in each category discipline list. In the event the quota varies, only the top athletes in the list will be selected to participate

- Any categories may be cancelled or postponed to a later date. Categories will be confirmed 3 weeks prior to the start of the event.

Finally, we advise that state and local government rulings apply and may vary at any point in time. This may lead to cancellation or postponement of the event at the last minute. Sport Climbing Australia will act reasonably and consider state and federal government advice. Sport Climbing Australia will advise all participants of any change as early as practicable.

Sport Climbing Australia will not be liable for any loss or damage due to the postponement or cancellation of the event, change of quotas or cancellation of categories.

Access the full policy here