The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are the first Games to be held with sport climbing as an official Olympic sport. I am super happy that I achieved one of my big goals to qualify to take part in such memorable Olympic Games. It feels a bit unreal, and I am still taking some time to take it in. I told my mother in Austria right away that I had qualified, and my parents were very happy for me. It feels amazing to have the fortune of sport climbing becoming a part of the Olympics so that I have an opportunity to become an Olympian.

Sport climbing at Tokyo 2020 will feature three disciplines: Speed, Bouldering and Lead, with each athlete competing in all three. To be honest, it is not that I always dreamt of competing in the Olympic Games. But this is a precious chance for me to participate in the world’s biggest multi-sport competition, and I am confident of my skills in Bouldering and Lead. I want to take on this challenge.

I started sport climbing simply because it was fun. After I got older and started getting good results, climbing became something more serious for me. As I entered international competitions, and I made sure that it was I, not anyone else, who placed pressure on me. Especially since winning the Climbing World Championships in 2018, I have had a desire to be on the podium again, and I am creating pressure on myself to achieve this.

Nothing is easy: nothing is easy when you are at the height of an elite level. You know you have to fight for every move. I learnt through my daily training that you have to be passionate about getting something if you are to get what you really desire. At the same time, you also have to really discipline yourself. Those who don’t engage in hard work or enjoy the process cannot get what they desire.

I started sport climbing when I was nine years old. When I was little, I had a chance to try many different sports during summer camp back home in Haag, Austria. That was when I tried sport climbing for the first time. It was really fun for me. I was smiling on the wall as I was climbing. I knew instantly that this was the sport for me. So, I quit riding horses, playing tennis and other sports, and I joined the sport climbing club to focus on climbing.

In the beginning, it was not really a training. It was just a hobby. After about a month or so, I told my coach that I wanted to try competing. It was when I joined the national team and got older that I started a real training that was based on a training plan with a national team coach. Then, it got more serious when I started competing internationally.

I climbed a natural rock formation for the first time after becoming a member of the Austria climbing team. I have been going out on climbs outside in nature ever since. At first, I had liked indoor climbing on plastic foot and handholds better. But I gradually started to find outdoor rock climbing interesting as well. When I went to Spain with a friend of mine on my first private rock-climbing trip, it was a very special experience. I now like climbing both natural rock formations and artificial walls.

I think the climbing community is very supportive and really friendly. You talk with all the other athletes to discuss skills and techniques. I feel that is a big difference from other sports. You train together; you go out on a rock together and so on. You can share the same passion with other climbers while heading towards your goals.

Ever since I was a child, Austria has had world-class climbers. My role model is Angela Eiter, a world-champion climber. I really liked her climbing style because she was really powerful and fast. She has been really inspiring for me. I always wanted to climb like her. I always wanted to get as strong as her. I hope that as much as Angela was inspirational to me, I, too, can be a role model for younger people.

Sport climbing is a sport for everyone. Women and men can compete under the same conditions. In a true sense, gender equality is there in the sport. In every competition, women and men are competing at the same time, and there is no difference in treatment, like in the prize money. Both genders get the same amount of attention. Men may be stronger in terms of physical power, and so their way of climbing differs and involves more strength. But the times marked is not very different. I do not think there are many other sports that are so fair and equal.

You see this also in paraclimbing. For example, people with one hand or one leg climb up the wall and that is so impressive. Blind people can climb, which is really cool. They can be very aggressive in the way they climb. I can say sport climbing is really for everyone regardless of age, gender and being with or without disability.

Across Austria, bouldering facilities have appeared in many places, and many people are now taking part in climbing. In Innsbruck, we have a really big gym. There are so many students as well as older people, young people and kids climbing there. It’s really nice that there is a facility where everyone can go and climb. Climbing can be a grueling sport, but it is great that people are not engaging in it alone or in silence but, rather, with friends and families in such a friendly atmosphere.

I hope that in the future I can support that will allow even more people to participate in this kind of friendly atmosphere and environment.

To me, sport is something fundamental to life. It helps you maintain good balance in your body and mind. Even if you are worried about something, you can change how you feel by going for a run in a park or exercising at a gym.

On the other hand, sport has taught me that there is nothing that can be gained in life without effort. It has also shown me the importance of perseverance. I like competition and training, and I also enjoy the process of heading towards my goal. I want to keep being diligent, persevering and aiming even higher.

I want to stay involved in the world of sport, which has taught me such things. Right now, I post proactively on social media about the competitions and training so that more people can get to know about sport climbing, and also about me and my life as a climber. It would be wonderful if it helps people become even more familiar with climbing.

After I retire from competitive sport climbing, I am interested in coaching climbing or becoming a route setter. I do not know what kind of a path I will choose, but my passion will always stay with climbing and sport.