Wikipedia

Janja Garnbret

Janja Garnbret (born 12 March 1999) is a Slovenian professional rock climber who specializes in sport climbing and competition climbing. She has won multiple competition lead climbing and competition bouldering events, two Olympic gold medals, and is widely regarded as the greatest competition climber of all time.[4][5][6] In 2021, Garnbret became the first-ever female Olympic gold medalist in climbing, and successfully defended her title in 2024. With two gold medals, she is the most successful Slovenian athlete at the Summer Olympics. She is also the world's first-ever female climber to onsight an 8c (5.14b) graded sport climbing route.

Janja Garnbret
Garnbret at the 2017 Boulder World Cup in Munich
Personal information
NationalitySlovenian
Born (1999-03-12) 12 March 1999 (age 25)
Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia[2]
OccupationProfessional rock climber
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[3]
Websitejanja-garnbret.com
Climbing career
Type of climber
Highest grade
Known for
  • First-ever female Olympic gold medalist in climbing
  • Winning 8 IFSC World Championships
  • Winning the most IFSC gold medals in history
  • First-ever female to onsight 8c (5.14b)
Medal record
Women's competition climbing
Representing  Slovenia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Combined
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Combined
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Paris Lead
Gold medal – first place 2018 Innsbruck Bouldering
Gold medal – first place 2018 Innsbruck Combined
Gold medal – first place 2019 Hachiōji Lead
Gold medal – first place 2019 Hachiōji Bouldering
Gold medal – first place 2019 Hachiōji Combined
Gold medal – first place 2023 Bern Bouldering
Gold medal – first place 2023 Bern Combined
Silver medal – second place 2018 Innsbruck Lead
Silver medal – second place 2023 Bern Lead
World Games
Silver medal – second place 2017 Wrocław Lead
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Munich Combined
Gold medal – first place 2022 Munich Lead
Gold medal – first place 2022 Munich Bouldering
Gold medal – first place 2022 Munich Combined
Silver medal – second place 2015 Chamonix Lead
Silver medal – second place 2017 Munich Bouldering
Updated on 7 September 2024

Garnbret won her first international title at the 2014 World Youth B Championships in lead. In July 2015, after turning 16, she entered the senior category of the IFSC Climbing World Cup in lead climbing. In 2016, aged 17, Garnbret won the World Cup seasonal titles in lead and combined, World Championships in lead climbing, and World Youth A Championships in both lead climbing and bouldering. From 2016 to 2018, she was awarded the seasonal title in both lead climbing and combined disciplines. In both 2018 and 2019, she won the World Championships in bouldering and combined and also reclaimed the lead title in 2019. The same year, Garnbret became the first athlete to win all bouldering World Cup events in a season.

As of September 2024, Garnbret has won the most IFSC gold medals of any competitive climber in history. In the lead climbing World Cup, she missed the podium only four times, winning 29 matches. In addition, she has won 17 bouldering World Cup events for a total of 46 victories at the World Cup level.[7]

Early life

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Garnbret started climbing at the age of seven and first competed in the national competition at the age of eight. She won her first major competition at the 2013 European Youth Championships, where she won in bouldering.[8]

Climbing career

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Competition climbing

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In 2015, her first year of eligibility for the IFSC Climbing World Cup, she placed seventh in the overall lead climbing standings.[9][10] The same year, she also placed first in a Swedish bouldering event, the "La Sportiva Legends Only", ahead of Shauna Coxsey, Mélissa Le Nevé, Juliane Wurm, and Anna Stöhr.[11] She also won the bouldering gathering Melloblocco in 2015.[12]

In 2016, she won most of the IFSC competitions in which she participated. She won the World Cup in lead and combined disciplines, the World Championships in lead, and the World Youth Championships in lead and bouldering.[13] Garnbret also won the Adidas Rockstars 2016 contest (an invitational contest for the world's best bouldering athletes), defeating Jessica Pilz in the superfinal.[14] She also won Rock Master in 2016, and then again in 2018.[15]

In 2017, she won the World Cup in lead and combined disciplines, the combined title in the European Championships, and ranked second in bouldering in the World Cup and the European Championships.

In 2018, she defended her World Cup titles in lead and combined disciplines and placed fourth in bouldering by winning two golds and one silver, after participating in just 3 out of 7 events (due to school commitments). Moreover, she won the World Championships in both bouldering and combined. She was close to also winning the Lead Climbing World Championships, where she earned the silver medal by topping the final route in 4 minutes and 38 seconds, just 11 seconds slower than Jessica Pilz, who won the Championship.

In 2019, she dominated the bouldering World Cup by solving 74 problems out of 78 and winning every event throughout the season.[16] Throughout six events, she placed first in six qualifications,[17] four semifinals[18] and six finals.[19] This feat had never been achieved before in the history of competition climbing. The same year, Garnbret won three out of four disciplines at the 2019 IFSC Climbing World Championships, taking gold in lead, bouldering, and combined.[20] Her win in the combined event qualified her for a spot at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[21]

In 2021, she began the 2021 IFSC Climbing World Cup season with a win in bouldering at Meiringen in April before finishing second in Salt Lake City, ending her streak of bouldering World Cup wins at nine.[22] In the same year, she became the first ever female Olympic champion in sport climbing, taking gold in the women's combined event at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[23]

In April 2022, after her first bouldering World Cup victory in the 2022 IFSC Climbing World Cup season at Meiringen, Garnbret announced that she would skip the remaining bouldering events to focus on the European Championships and the lead events of the World Cup.[24] At the 2022 European Championships in Munich, Garnbret won gold in all three events – lead, bouldering, and combined – with the first two being the only titles she had never won before, thus completing the feat of winning every possible major title in sport climbing.[25][26]

In August 2023, Garnbret qualified for the combined event at the 2024 Olympics by winning the combined title in the 2023 World Championship.[27] She also won the gold medal in the individual boulder event and the silver medal in the individual lead event, bringing her World Championship medal tally to ten, including eight gold.[28]

In August 2024, she successfully defended her Olympic gold after winning the boulder and lead combined event at the 2024 Olympics for her second Olympic victory.[29]

 
Garnbret as the 2017 European champion in combined discipline
 
Garnbret climbing at the 2017 IFSC Climbing World Cup in Munich, Germany
 
Garnbret with the gold medal from the 2020 Summer Olympics

Outdoor rock climbing

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In 2015, Garnbret onsighted Avatar, an 8b (5.13d) graded sport climbing route in Pandora, Croatia.[30] The same year, she successfully climbed her first 8c  (5.14c) graded route by redpointing Miza za šest at Kotečnik in her home country of Slovenia.[31]

In 2016, she flashed La Fabelita in Santa Linya, an 8c (5.14b) graded sport climbing route. She was given route beta by her countrywoman Mina Markovič, and climbed the route in less than 15 minutes.[32]

In 2017, she went a step further and clipped the anchor of her first 9a (5.14d) graded sport route, Seleccio Natural, in Santa Linya, Spain.[33] Just a few days later, she climbed her second 9a graded route, La Fabela pa la Enmienda, also in Santa Linya.[34]

In November 2021, she onsighted Fish Eye in Oliana, Spain, which was the world's first-ever female onsight of a consensus 8c (5.14b) graded sport route in history.[35]

In March 2022, Garnbret made the first female ascent of Bügeleisen, an 8B  (V14) graded bouldering problem in Maltatal, Austria.[36] On 12 May 2024, she returned to Maltatal and made the first female ascent of Bügeleisen SDS, a sit start variation that is graded at 8C (V15).[37]

Rankings

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See also: Best IFSC results and Janja Garnbret in the Climbing World Cup

Climbing World Cup

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[38]

Discipline 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Lead 7 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2
Bouldering — 17 2 4 1 2 18 8 5
Speed — — — 58 48 12 — — —
Combined — 1 1 1 1 — — — —

Climbing World Championships

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Youth[7]
Discipline 2013
Youth B 		2014
Youth B 		2015
Youth A 		2016
Youth A
Lead 4 1 1 1
Bouldering — — 1 1
Speed — — 23 28
Combined — — 2[39] 2[40]
Senior[7]
Discipline 2016 2018 2019 2023
Lead 1 2 1 2
Bouldering — 1 1 1
Speed — 47 23 —
Combined — 1 1 1

Climbing European Championships

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Youth[7]
Discipline 2013
Youth B 		2014
Youth B 		2015
Youth A
Lead 1 1 1
Bouldering 1 1 1
Senior[7]
Discipline 2015 2017 2022
Lead 2 4 1
Bouldering — 2 1
Speed — 32 —
Combined — 1 1

World Cup podiums

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As of 7 September 2024, Garnbret has won 46 World Cup events and has a total of 66 podium finishes.[7]

Lead

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Season Gold Silver Bronze Total
2015 2 1 3
2016 4 2 6
2017 6 2 8
2018 4 3 7
2019 1 2 3
2020 1 1
2021 3 3
2022 5 2 7
2023 3 3
2024 3 3
Total 29 10 5 44

Bouldering

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Season Gold Silver Bronze Total
2016 1 1
2017 3 1 4
2018 2 1 3
2019 6 6
2021 2 1 3
2022 1 1
2023 1 1 2
2024 2 2
Total 17 5 0 22

References

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  1. ^ Pardy, Aaron (12 May 2024). "Janja Garnbret Climbs V15 in Austria, Twice". Gripped Magazine. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Podelitev Bloudkovih priznanj za leto 2018" (PDF). gov.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  3. ^ "GARNBRET Janja". Paris 2024 Olympics. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Why is Janja Garnbret the best competition climber ever". 5c Climbers. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ Jiwani, Rory (12 August 2019). "Janja Garnbret: "When I am on the wall nothing else matters."". Olympics.com. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  6. ^ Burgman, John (7 July 2021). "What If Janja Garnbret Loses At the Olympics? Unthinkable? Let's Think About It". Climbing Magazine. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Garnbret's profile and rankings". International Federation of Sport Climbing. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Janja Garnbret Interview". klettern (in German). Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  9. ^ "EVENTS". ifsc-climbing.org.
  10. ^ Murray, Emma (25 July 2016), "Janja Garnbret Dominates Lead World Cup, Again", Rock & Ice
  11. ^ Ketchum, Chris (30 November 2015), "Janja Garnbret Dominates La Sportiva Legends Only", Rock & Ice.
  12. ^ "MELLOBLOCCO 2015 – The year of the women". Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  13. ^ Athlete profile, International Federation of Sport Climbing, retrieved August 1, 2016.
  14. ^ "Adidas ROCKSTARS 2016" (PDF). adidas-rockstars.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  15. ^ "Rock Master Hall of Fame – Rock Master Festival 2019". Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  16. ^ IFSC, ed. (7 June 2019). "2019 Bouldering World Cup – Full results". Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  17. ^ Qualifications in the 2019 Bouldering World Cup:
    • "Meiringen". 6 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Moscow". 14 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Chongquing". 28 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Wujiang". 5 May 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Munich". 19 May 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Vail". 8 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  18. ^ Semifinals in the 2019 Bouldering World Cup:
    • "Meiringen". 6 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Moscow". 14 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Chongquing". 28 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Wujiang". 5 May 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Munich". 19 May 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Vail". 8 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  19. ^ Finals in the 2019 Bouldering World Cup:
    • "Meiringen". 6 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Moscow". 14 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Chongquing". 28 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Wujiang". 5 May 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Munich". 19 May 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
    • "Vail". 8 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  20. ^ S. J.; R. K. (20 August 2019). "Zgodovinski zlati trojček superšampionke Janje" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  21. ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (20 August 2019). "Sport climbers Janja Garnbret, Akiyo Noguchi achieve dream by qualifying for 2020 Olympics". The Japan Times. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  22. ^ Berry, Natalie (31 May 2021). "IFSC Boulder and Speed World Cup Salt Lake City 2021 (Round 2): Report". UKC. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Janja Garnbret ima zlato medaljo!" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Janja Garnbret Abdicates From Remainder of 2022 Boulder World Cup Season". gripped.com. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  25. ^ "Novopečena evropska prvakinja Janja Garnbret že mislila, da bo umrla". Delo (in Slovenian). 13 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  26. ^ "Janja Garnbret še tretjič na vrhu Evrope, Mia Krampl druga" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  27. ^ "Janja Garnbret wins boulder and lead gold at IFSC Climbing World Champs". Olympics.com. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  28. ^ "Janja po novem zlatu: Upam, da sem vsaj malo razveselila Slovence". Delo (in Slovenian). 11 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  29. ^ Kopina, Klavdija (11 August 2024). "Olimpijski sen Janje Garnbret: Uspeh je, da si na koncu zadovoljen sam s seboj" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  30. ^ "Janja Garnbret climbs 8b onsight in Croatia". Planetmountain.com. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  31. ^ "Janja Garnbret climbs 8c at Kotecnik in Slovenia". Planetmountain.com. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  32. ^ "Janja Garnbret flashes second 8c at Santa Linya". Planetmountain.com. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  33. ^ "Janja Garnbret climbs her first 9a at Santa Linya in Spain". Planetmountain.com. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  34. ^ "Santa Linya sends by Janja Garnbret and Jakob Schubert". Planetmountain.com. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  35. ^ "Janja Garnbret Makes History with Fish Eye 5.14b Onsight". Gripped Magazine. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  36. ^ "Janja Garnbret climbs Bügeleisen 8B in Maltatal, Austria". Planetmountain.com. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  37. ^ "Janja Garnbret makes double send of Bügeleisen Sit 8C in Maltatal, Austria". Planetmountain.com. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  38. ^ "World Cup Rankings". International Federation of Sport Climbing. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  39. ^ "Combined results WYCH 2015" (PDF). egw.ifsc-climbing.org. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  40. ^ "Combined results WYCH 2016" (PDF). egw.ifsc-climbing.org. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
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