ADVENTURE MAG – July 2019

ADVENTURE MAG EDITION 1 - OE EDITION 56 47

ATHLETE BY CHOICE

with Duncan Brown

CLIMBING IN THE OLYMPICS

would a climber put the focus on

for Olympic games preparation?

It’s tricky as the combined format is

new in the last couple of years, and

athletes and coaches alike are still

working on the best way to prepare

for all three disciplines at once. It

is kind of like a runner having to

prepare for the 100m, the 400m

hurdles, and the 10km at the same

time - something that few other

sports have to face.

How will the Olympic games

change the sport into the future?

This is a topic that leads to plenty

of debate with competition fans

excited about an Olympic future,

and outdoor purists concerned

about crowds and the loss of the

core values of typically outdoor

pursuit. I feel that both sides of the

coin are not mutually exclusive.

While more interest means more

participants and potentially the

need for more management of

our outdoor resources to mitigate

the effects of increased traffic, the

increased participation rates will

also lead to more funding both for

the indoor and outdoor worlds.

Duncan is a Personal Trainer and
Australian National Team Coaching
Director for Sport Climbing
Australia. Although rock climbing
is his area of true expertise, he also
has experience coaching swimming,
gymnastics, and trampoline. Duncan
is a professional rock climber
himself, and knows the sport inside
and out, and what it takes to
become great at it. With the 2020
Olympics drawing close, and the
recent inclusion of sports climbing
to the selection of sports, who
better to discuss climbing in the
Olympics than Duncan Brown.

Can you tell us what we can expect
from climbing in the games?
2020 will be the first time that
Sport Climbing has featured at
the Olympic Games, and it is
an exciting time for the whole
climbing community worldwide.
With climbing growing so much
as a recreational sport in the past
decade it is much more in the
public consciousness. It feels like
there will be a lot of attention in the
sport and hopefully the Games will
deliver a great show.

What are different aspects of the
sport focussed on for the Games?

Due to our first Olympic Games

being only one set of medals each

for Women and Men the IFSC

(International Federation of Sport

Climbing) decided on a combined

format of Speed Climbing,

Bouldering, and Lead Climbing. This

was to ensure all three competitive

disciplines were included in the

Games. It creates a very complex

situation for athletes; to prepare

themselves for all three different

disciplines. It also creates quite a

spectacular show for the spectators,

especially in the finals round.

How does a climber get to Olympic

level in the sport?

Climbers worldwide have for many

years competed in the international

World Cup series each year in all

disciplines as well as the World

Championships every second

year. Competing in National and

international events as youth

climbers and on into the Open ranks

is the pathway many athletes follow

on their way to being Olympic

standard athletes.

What specific training schedules

Duncan Brown is a climbing legend in Australia. In 2011 he started Athlete

by Choice, which provides programs specific to rock climbing based

on an extensive history of coaching and training for elite level climbing

performance.