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Sport Climbing Australia is proud to announce the 2024 Sport Climbing Team. 

The team consists of our 2 Olympic representatives, Oceania Mackenzie and Campbell Harrison who book their ticket to Paris at the recent Oceania Qualifier in Melbourne.

Joining them are some familiar faces, Roxy Perry, Ben Abel, Max Pare and Aiden Yanev. Both Max and Aiden will be in their second year of Open competition.  Making a return to the Open team is Sam Lavender who had a couple of years off competition to concentrate on route setting. Sam had outstanding performances at the lead selection event and Boulder championships.

Also in their second year of Open competition are Maya Statiuk, Dylan Parks and Dylan Soin and they will be joined by other youth climbers Emily Scott, Summer Fraser and Atako Nakamura. Showing the sports future is bright with this pool of young talent to get their first taste of Open International competition.

We wish all athletes  a successful 2024 season.

2024 Open Team.pdf

Ian was previously a Senior High Performance Manager at the Queensland Academy of Sport, where he supported athletes and programs in delivering performance outcomes. Previously,  he was a Performance Pathway Coaching Consultant at the Australian Institute of Sport, contributing to the design and implementation of successful performance pathways for athletes and coaches alike. Ian's global experience in coaching cycling further strengthens his qualifications, making him an exceptional fit for the role of Performance Pathway Manager at SCA.

Ian is SCA’s first full time employee and our first Performance Pathway Manager. His arrival signifies a momentous step forward in our quest to elevate the sport of climbing within Australia. His expertise and dedication to sport are a valuable asset to our organisation. This past week, Ian along with members of our national coaching team attended the AIS conference: World Class to World Best. This was a great opportunity to introduce Ian to the broader high performance system in his new role and demonstrates SCA's commitment to engage with the wider sporting community.

IFSC is delighted to communicate that Campbell Harrison has been elected as a new member of the IFSC Athletes’ Commission for the term 2023-2027.

We are glad to see Mr Harrison become an athlete representative and look forward to working together with him in this new role. He will bring a positive contribution to the Commission, to athletes, and to Sport Climbing as a whole. (Pietro Gianoglio - IFSC General Affairs Officer)

Campbell is one of our most senior and experience members of the International team and brings years of knowledge and experience to the role. We wish him all the very best with this new role.

The Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) is investing in our athletes of the future, naming 10 emerging stars who will receive Tier 2 scholarships in its 2024 Scholarship and Mentoring Program. 

"I am so grateful and honoured to receive a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship. This scholarship will provide me with support from a network of extraordinary Australian athletes. These are people who have been, or are still, on the same journey as myself. As a young athlete in an emerging sport, it is vital to have the support necessary to travel, compete and train so that I can stand amongst the best in the world.”

– Maya Stasiuk on being selected as a 2024 Tier 2 Scholarship Holder

"Sport Climbing Australia congratulates Maya for her selection to the 2023 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program. Maya's exceptional performance in the 2022 Open Boulder National Championships, securing first position, reflects her outstanding talent and dedication. Her commendable participation in IFSC World Cups and recent Youth World Championships, achieving 23rd and 26th positions in Lead and Bouldering respectively, highlights her potential at just 15 years old. With her remarkable achievements and dedication to her sport, we are confident that Maya will achieve great things in the climbing world.”

– Sport Climbing Australia Chair, Philip Goebel 

Image: Lena Drapella

Larcombe's result builds on her World Cup results this year in Salt Lake City, Innsbruck and Villars with a silver sweep across all comps. Reflecting to @ausclimbing, Larcombe said "My first World Championships was an amazing experience, and I’m happy (and relieved!) to be finishing the season as Vice World Champion in W-AL2. The scale and atmosphere of this event was huge and so exciting, so it was especially great to be there with the Australian team and to cheer on our athletes across all the sport climbing disciplines. I want to send a huge thanks to everyone for their support this season, and keep your fingers crossed for Paraclimbing at LA28!"  

Image: Jan Virt

Four Australian athletes competed at the Paraclimbing World Championships, with Jessie Bayiartakis also competing in the W-AL2 category and finishing 10th. Michael Tarulli placed 12th in the M-RP2 event and Araminta McLennan placed 13th in the W-RP1 event. While all four athletes made their Paraclimbing World Championship debut, it also served as the international competition debut for Bayiartakis and Tarulli.

It's no coincidence that all four athletes are from Melbourne, where there is a strong paraclimbing community through the work of Adaptive Climbing Victoria (ACV). ACV was founded in 2018 by Katie Kaminsky, an APA Sport and Exercise/Amputee Rehabilitation Physiotherapist, to offer people living with a disability the opportunity to participate in the sport of rock climbing, both competitively and socially, no matter their ability. 

Image: Lena Drapella

Kaminsky is the National Physiotherapist and supported the team in Bern, along with National Coach Alex MacInnes. MacInnes says "The friendly and supportive atmosphere that is synonymous with climbing gyms everywhere seemed amplified in paraclimbing isolation. There was a real sense of fun and excitement in the air - competition certainly existed but everyone just seemed more excited to get the opportunity to climb again."

Sport Climbing Australia is grateful to have received support from Airbnb through the Australian Olympic Committee to provide a team hub for the Climbing and Paraclimbing World Championship Teams. The Airbnb property allowed the athletes to relax after the demands of competition, wind down with post-training stretches, have a space to receive physiotherapy treatment, enjoy team dinners cooked in the fully equipped kitchen and create a shared team experience with other athletes and performance staff. 

Keep up with all the Australian Climbing Team news on Instagram at @ausclimbing. 

The SCA 2023 Feedback Survey is your chance to influence our new strategic plan and shape the future of sport climbing in Australia. We want to hear from as many people as possible from every corner of the climbing community. Your honest insights will help us identify our strengths, uncover areas of opportunity, and ensure our plans for growth align with your priorities.

Don’t miss out! The survey will close on Wednesday, August 23rd. Submit your response here to have your say about our sport and go into the draw to win a $100 Climbing Anchors voucher. 

The second half of the IFSC Climbing World Championships in Bern saw a new Australian Men's Speed record set by Hayden Barton and a semi finals placing for Oceania Mackenzie in the new combined Boulder & Lead Olympic format event.

Image: Lena Drapella

NSWIS athlete Hayden Barton finished 57th in Speed with a time of 6.22, setting a new Australian Men's Speed record. The previous record of 6.89 was held by Tokyo 2020 Olympian Tom O'Halloran, and the Oceania Continental Record of 5.83  is held by NZ climber Julian David.  Aaron Mattes and Grace Crowley also competed in Speed, finishing 72nd and 58th in the Men and Women's events respectively. 

Image: Jan Virt

At the conclusion of the Boulder and Lead World Championship events, all athletes who competed in both disciplines received a combined score calculated from their results. The top twenty climbers per gender took to the walls again in the new Olympic format for Paris 2024, with three qualification spots on offer in the final round. After narrowly missing out on Boulder finals after finishing 7th, VIS athlete Oceania Mackenzie qualified for the combined semi final where she finished in 16th place. In the Men's combined rankings, Campbell Harrison finished 53rd, Dylan Parks was 71st and WAIS athlete Maxim Pare was 72nd.

Image: Lena Drapella

The new combined format has been introduced for Paris 2024 with the split of Speed into a separate event and a total of four gold medals for sport climbing on offer. The scoring system performance based, with the final score of an athlete being the sum of points collected in Boulder and Lead (maximum of 100 points in each). Each Boulder problem is worth a maximum of 25 points, broken down into a TOP (25 points), Highest Zone (10 points) or Lowest Zone (5 points). The top 40 moves on the Lead route are scored, with the top 10 moves worth 4 points, the next 10 worth 3 points, the next 10 worth 2 points and then the bottom 10 worth 1 point. 

Image: Vladek Zumr

Sport Climbing Australia is grateful to have received support from Airbnb through the Australian Olympic Committee to provide a team hub for World Championship Teams. The Airbnb property allowed the athletes to relax after the demands of competition, wind down with post-training stretches, have a dedicated space for National Physiotherapist Katie Kaminsky to provide treatment, enjoy team dinners cooked in the fully equipped kitchen and create a shared team AUS experience with other athletes, performance staff and supporters. 

Keep up with all the Australian Climbing Team news on Instagram and Facebook.

Oceania Mackenzie has placed 7th in Boulder at the IFSC Climbing World Championships in Bern, equalling her 2023 World Cup ranking and cementing her place in Australian sport climbing history.

Image: David Schweizer

After qualifying for semi finals in 19th position, Mackenzie was the second climber on the wall and set the standard for the rest of the field. With three tops (including a flash) and all four zones, she narrowly missed out on qualifying for finals due to attempts to top. Janja Garnbret and Brooke Raboutou were the only climbers to top all four problems.

According to the IFSC website, Mark Baker is the only other Australian climber to place in the top ten at a World Championships, finishing equal 7th in Speed at Frankfurt in 1991. Garth Miller finished 11th in Lead at Paris in 1997, and until now Australia's best Boulder result at a World Championships was 13th place - achieved by both Samantha Berry at Chamonix in 2003 and James Kassay at Munich in 2014.

Although Mackenzie didn't progress beyond the Lead qualification round after finishing in 45th, her 7th place finish in Boulder will have earned the Victorian Institute of Sport athlete valuable points towards her combined score. After the conclusion of the finals, the top 20 ranked Boulder/Lead competitors will compete again in both disciplines from August 9 with three Olympic quota places on offer.

Image: Lena Drapella / IFSC

Strong individual performances were also recorded in the Men's events, with Australia finishing 10th place in the Boulder team rankings. In Boulder, Dylan Parks placed 63rd (one top and two zones), Max Pare placed 67th (one top and one zone), Campbell Harrison placed 79th (four zones) and Aiden Yanev placed 81st (three zones). "Had a great time and I'm super keen for more. I'm happy with my mental and physical progression throughout the season and I've learnt many valuable lessons" says Dylan Parks. "This comp I felt I had more fight in me and I'd love to keep the ball rolling."

Image: Lena Drapella / IFSC

Harrison was Australia's highest placed Lead competitor, finishing 39th out of 125 competitors. "Immediately after the round I was pretty upset, because I really felt like my climbing didn't 'click' on either route. Shortly after, I realised that cracking the top 40 in one of the biggest Lead World Champs fields ever is something to be pretty proud of. There's definitely a little bit of grief for how well my first qualifier was going before I missed a foothold hidden behind a volume, but that's how climbing goes sometimes…my shape certainly felt the best it's ever felt here in Bern, and the thirst to accomplish bigger and better things is strong."

Image: Pho Metheus

Other Lead competitors included Dylan Soin who placed 65th, Parks in 85th and Pare in 93rd. Australians still to compete include Sarah Larcombe, Araminta McLennan, Jessie Bayiartkias and Michael Tarulli in Paraclimbing from August 8, and Hayden Barton, Aaron Mattes and Grace Crowley in Speed on August 10.

Keep up with all the Australian Climbing Team news on Instagram at @ausclimbing. 

NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete “Hayden “Spiderman” Barton is taking to the walls in speed climbing at the IFSC Climbing World Championships in Bern, Switzerland, in his quest to secure a quota place for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Image: Victor Hall Photography

“When I was nine years old, my dad got me into rock climbing as a summer sport. I was always up in trees climbing and so my parents thought it would be good for me,” the Paris hopeful said. “I’m known for wall crawling and climbing up things. Spiderman’s abilities are acrobatic. I aspire to be nimble and acrobatic myself.”

Barton trains five times a week at the Penrith Climbing Centre and he is at the NSWIS gym another three times a week working on his strength and condition. “The muscle ups are a great exercise for building upper body power,” he said. “It’s an awesome exercise to engage all the muscles you need in climbing. I would like to hope I can do over 10.”

Barton credits his NSWIS strength and conditioning coach Ebony Charles as instrumental to his recent performance improvements. “Before starting at NSWIS I was flying blind in S&C and training in the sport of speed climbing,” said Barton. “Since I have started training my times have improved from a time of 6.6 – 6.2 seconds in training. Ebony has been instrumental in assisting me improve. She has come to training with a very detailed knowledge of how to train for a power sport.”

Image: @beor_ong

Barton loves the movement patterns of climbing, the problem solving and the fact that no two climbing routes are the same. However, 12 months ago, Barton decided to refocus his goals and concentrate on speed climbing as he was not able to make the cut for Youth National Team in boulder and lead. “I first started as an allrounder, but now I specialise in speed climbing but last year was my final year as a youth climber. I never made the national team. I was a powerful athlete and decided my skill set was more suited to speed climbing. I came second at Youth Nationals and then went on to compete Youth World Championships in Dallas, Texas where I finished 20th in a time of 7.3 seconds.”

Earlier this year Barton competed at the Australian Nationals for Speed Climbing and – after only 12 months specialising in speed climbing – he won in a sub seven seconds time. “It’s a lot of muscle memory,” said Barton. “The route is always the same and position of the holds never change. And it requires a lot of power development.”

The IFSC Climbing World Championships will take place in Bern from 1-12 August, with Australian climbers taking to the walls in every event and category. The top three athletes per gender in Lead/Boulder and the top two athletes per gender in Speed will earn a quota by name for Paris 2024.

Keep up with all the Australian Climbing Team news on Instagram at @ausclimbing. 

Article originally posted by Frances Cordaro, NSWIS

Sport Climbing Australia is thrilled to have received support from the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Preparation Fund announced last week by the Australian Sports Commission.

Image: Sam Pratt

$20 million in funding is being allocated across eligible Olympic and Paralympic sport federations to reduce the significant costs associated with athlete qualification and performance outcomes in the lead up to Paris 2024. SCA's Olympic Coordinator Naomi Cleary says that "Sport Climbing Australia is grateful to receive this funding and is really pleased to be able to assist our athletes in the lead up to the Paris Olympic Games. We will be able to support our athletes in their on the ground preparations in Paris as well as sending their coaches with them for their best possible result." 

Image: Danijel Jovanovic Photography

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Preparation Fund was announced the day before the Australian Olympic Committee's 'One Year To Go' celebrations at Qantas Headquarters on July 26. The first opportunity to qualify for Paris 2024 is at the upcoming IFSC Climbing World Championships taking place in Bern from 1-12 August. Athletes chasing Olympic quota spots include Oceania Mackenzie, Campbell Harrison, Max Pare, Dylan Parks, Aiden Yanev and Dylan Soin in Lead/Boulder events, and Grace Crowley, Hayden Barton and Aaron Mattes in Speed.

Keep up with all the Australian Climbing Team news on Instagram at @ausclimbing.