Janja
Garnbret
Slovenia
·
Climbing
Дата на раждане | 12 Март 1999 |
|---|---|
Място на раждане | Šmartno pri Slovenj Gradcu |
Възраст | 27 |
Националност | Slovenia |
Старт на кариерата | 2013 |
Дисциплини | Climbing Boulder / Climbing Lead / Climbing Speed / Climbing Combined |
Janja Garnbret's path to becoming one of the most decorated climbers in the sport began long before the medals. Growing up in Šmartno pri Slovenj Gradcu, Slovenia, she climbed trees, cabinets and anything else she could find before discovering climbing as a sport.
"I got introduced to climbing actually by myself. As a kid, I was always climbing everywhere that was higher than me, so on chairs, on closets, I was always at the highest branch of a tree and it broke so many times, but I didn't get scared."
Rise through junior climbing
From that start point, Garnbret enrolled on a climbing course, where she was introduced to the techniques of climbing as a sport. By the end of elementary school, she had made the Slovenian Youth Climbing Team and capped her first season in national colours by winning European Youth Championship titles in both Lead and Boulder in 2013.
"My whole life, like kind of revolved around climbing. School was always second and climbing was always first. I wanted to make my life all around climbing."
By the end of high school, Garnbret had already built an outstanding junior record. She won World Youth Championship gold in Lead in 2014, before taking both the Lead and Boulder titles in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, she also broke through at senior level, becoming Lead world champion and winning the overall World Cup titles in Lead and Combined.
Early World Cup and World Championship success
In 2017, Garnbret retained the overall World Cup titles in Lead and Combined, won the European Championship in Combined and finished runner-up in Boulder at both the World Cup and European Championships.
The Slovenian Sports Journalists Association named Garnbret Athlete of the Year in 2018, and in early 2019 she received the Bloudek Award for outstanding international achievement.
In 2019, Garnbret won all six Boulder World Cup events to complete the first perfect World Cup season in the discipline and claim the overall title. She then won World Championship gold in Boulder, Lead and Combined in Hachioji, Japan.
Training mindset and climbing style
The self-proclaimed perfectionist admits that training and competing can feel almost like an addiction, with the constant pursuit of progress driving her to keep improving.
"Sometimes in training a hold feels very bad, but then two months of training [later] and this hold feels very good. So, it’s the progress that is addictive, because you see the training is working, you get stronger and stronger. I’m addicted to progress."
And when it comes to her climbing style? She explains: "Right now, I would say I am a high-risk, high-reward climber, so I just go for it. And sometimes people say that it's not under control, but everything is under control still."
Away from competition, Garnbret has also taken on ambitious climbing projects. In 2020, she teamed up with compatriot Domen Škofic to take on the 360 Ascent project, which saw the duo scale the world's longest artificial multi-pitch route 360m up Europe's tallest chimney.
Olympic and World Championship titles
In 2021, Garnbret became the first women's Olympic champion in sport climbing at Tokyo 2020. Three years later in Paris, she successfully defended her title by winning gold in Boulder & Lead.
Between her Olympic triumphs, Garnbret won three European titles in Munich in 2022, taking gold in Lead, Boulder and Boulder & Lead. At the 2023 World Championships in Bern, she added gold in Boulder and Boulder & Lead, as well as silver in Lead.
In 2025, Garnbret claimed her third Lead world title and fourth Boulder crown in Seoul, taking her career tally to a record 10 senior World Championship titles.
In June 2026, Garnbret reached 50 career victories at World Cup and World Climbing Series level with Lead gold in Innsbruck. In September, she added her 51st win in Koper, her 33rd in Lead and fourth consecutive victory at the Slovenian venue.
Reflecting on her 50th win in Innsbruck, she said: "I feel incredible. Fifty victories is a milestone that, at the beginning of my career, I could only dream of achieving. I don’t think I could have even imagined reaching this level of success. My thoughts went back to 2016, when I earned my first victory, and now, in a relatively short period of time, I’ve reached my 50th win. It’s truly something unbelievable.”
Climbing Bibliographie (9b+)
In 2026, Garnbret added another historic chapter to her already remarkable career by becoming the first woman ever to climb Bibliographie (9b+) in Céüse, France, and only the second woman in history to achieve a confirmed ascent of a 9b+ sport climb. That's just one step away from 9c, the hardest grade on the planet.
“This route required me to be a different climber,” Garnbret revealed after the send. Not because it pushed her physically, but because it forced her to think differently.
Garnbret's ascent of Bibliographie taught her new things
© Jessica Glassberg/ Red Bull Content Pool
Slovenian climbing legend Janja Garnbret
© Philip Platzer/Red Bull Content Pool
Janja Garnbret claims 10th world title with Bouderling gold in Seoul
© Jan Virt/Red Bull Content Pool
Climbing legend Janja Garnbret powering up the wall in Innsbruck
© Jessica Glassberg/Red Bull Content Pool