Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Tamsin Metelerkamp
Published on 2024-02-25 15:28:35
In recent years, the Olympic Games have seen the addition of several new sports, one of which is sport climbing. Sport climbing made its debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and consists of three disciplines: boulder, lead, and speed climbing.
Aniya Holder, a 22-year-old sportswoman from Gqeberha, South Africa, will be the only female representative from Africa competing in the speed climbing category at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. She will be joined by one male speed climber, as well as a male and female climber in the boulder and lead categories. Holder expressed her excitement at qualifying for the Olympics, citing the hard work and dedication she put into her training.
Holder secured her place at the 2024 Olympics during the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) African Qualifier in December 2023 where she outperformed her competitors by completing the 15m sport climbing route in a time of 11.33 seconds.
Reflecting on the significance of participating in a new Olympic sport, Holder highlighted the separation of the three climbing disciplines at these games, allowing athletes to specialize in one area rather than being average at all three. Speed climbing, in particular, involves completing a standardized 15m route in the shortest time possible. Holder’s coach, Jay-D Muller, commended her hard work and dedication, describing her as a driven individual who puts in a lot of effort to achieve her goals.
Holder’s journey to the Olympics has been marked by challenges, including two major injuries that shifted her focus to speed climbing. Despite these setbacks, Holder embraced speed climbing as a new challenge and quickly fell in love with the sport. She now balances her training with a nine-to-five job and has self-funded her Olympic journey, facing obstacles such as limited training facilities and the need to travel long distances for proper training.
To support her Olympic aspirations, Holder is running a funding campaign on Thundafund under the tagline “The Queen of Speed Climbing, SA, needs you.” She continues her rigorous training regimen, focusing on improving her speed through wall laps, plyometrics, and general fitness exercises.
Holder’s advice to aspiring speed climbers is to make sacrifices and push themselves to achieve their goals. Despite the challenges she has faced, Holder remains determined to represent her country on the Olympic stage and inspire young climbers to pursue their dreams in the sport of climbing.
Read the original article on Daily Maverick
