Climbing
Learn how climbing phenom Alberto Ginés López overcame adversity to win big
Alberto Ginés López made a name for himself with some big results at the sport’s top events, but he's only just getting started. Learn all about the Spanish climber here.
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Alberto Ginés López, just 18 back then, swooped in and shocked everyone by snagging the first-ever gold in Sport Climbing at the Tokyo Games. He took on the pros, defied the odds and carved out his spot as a dark horse young climber.
Find out more about Red Bull Dual Ascent
López faced a barrage of comparisons to the seasoned competitors, who said his victory was luck. But his determination, training hustle and long-term game plan reveal one thing: he's the real deal.
As a youngster López overcame aseveral doubts and failures to become a European champ and World Cup winner. He also appeared at Red Bull Dual Ascent in 2022 and will be back again competing at the 2023 edition this coming November. But that's not the end and despite the media noise, he's focused on a second Games gold.
36 min
Red Bull Dual Ascent
Sixteen world-class athletes on eight teams battle to be the fastest up a wall of six gruelling pitches.
Read on to find out how he plans to do just that, but first, let’s rewind his underdog journey…
01
The beginning
When López was young, his climbing-savvy dad made his weekends filled with climbing adventures. “Instead of being a typical dad who would say, 'Get down, you are going to get hurt,' he would say, 'Put on some climbing shoes and you’ll get up there more easily.' That’s how I started,” he says. “And it’s always been like a game for me and for my sister, who I began climbing with.”
Every day there’s a new challenge, a new mystery to solve
The López family, based in Cáceres in Spain, preferred the life of climbing thrills over beach trips. This lit a fire in junior Lopez that became a full-blown passion – to be the climbing-wall puzzle master. “It’s been a constant challenge, that’s the great thing about climbing, you always have different challenges daily,” he says. “I’ve always liked puzzles, riddles, and all those things, and climbing is a bit like that, every day there’s a new challenge, a new mystery to solve.”
Solving puzzles
© Will Saunders/Red Bull Content Pool
02
Finding direction
López started out as a climbing wanderer with no goals, just tagging along with an older gang – the friends of his father. Fast-forward seven years, to when he hit 10, and coach David Macia entered his life.
López was juggling gymnastics with climbing at the time. But thanks to Macia’s gruelling training, López was evolving as a top climber. “My friends taught me to climb, but David taught me to climb well, to train, to manage competitions,” he says. “He basically taught me everything.”
I never felt that I was the best, I just thought if I could improve and be a bit better, that was great
Soon he made the bold decision to bid farewell to gymnastics to advance his climbing skills. ButLópez considered himself an average climber, saying, “I never felt that I was the best, I just thought if I could improve and be a bit better, that was great”.
03
On the road
His hometown was a climbing desert, so junior and senior López hit the road every weekend, rock-hunting and scouting crags to match the kid’s burgeoning skills. Their excursions commenced with cool western crags of Extremadura, which involved two-to-three hours of driving each way.
Then their horizons expanded to France. “We left on Friday, after his [my father's] work and my school, we drove up for five hours to Burgos, slept there, and then the next morning we’d drive up to France," explains López. "We trained on Saturday and Sunday morning, and came back to Cáceres, because the next day I had school and my dad had work.”
López’s family was a busy one: his father held a full-time construction job and his mother worked as an assistant nurse. His climbing success isn't a result of any wealth – it was all about gutsy parents and an audacious passion.
Getting to grips with the European Championships
© Phil Pham/Red Bull Content Pool
04
A bumpy ride
López didn’t have it easy. “The first editions didn’t go well, I didn’t get to the podium," he says. "It’s not that I started and was winning all the competitions, I was very nervous, I had a bad time when I competed in international competitions.”
During one of his early competitions in the 2014-2015 season, he cried because he'd fallen from the first two routes and performed badly. “It was a disaster, it was horrible,” he says.
Even though he had a rocky start, López refused to give up. He kept showing up for competitions and the medals soon followed.
He graced the podiums of IFSC Climbing World and European Youth Championships in category B in 2017. Then, in 2018, he scored a seventh-place finish in his very first World Cup event. (He's only the third climber to achieve this feat.)
In action at Red Bull Dual Ascent
© Will Saunders/Red Bull Content Pool
05
Family, friends and tattoos
López isn't just tight with his folks and sister; his grandparents are his rocks too. His grandma even got Olympic rings tattooed, a tribute to his big win. López admires his family of “such characters” and feels lucky to “have a wonderful family”.
“I love my family, I lean on them a lot, and on my friends who are my second family,” he says. His dad’s pals, the ones with kids and without competition interests, are still his best buddies. Even though he's chosen the athlete’s lifestyle in Barcelona, he nurtures these relationships and remains connected to them.
He has a couple more tattoos: a smiling face on his leg, Naruto and Jiraya [from his favorite series], and ‘sic paris magna, a Latin phrase which means ‘greatness comes from small beginnings’.
Besides, our climber is also a foodie. You take him off his diet plan and he'll munch on anything!
When I qualified for the final, I burst into tears
06
Unexpected glory
After a series of victories came the golden ticket to Tokyo. López strategised with his coach: 'speed plus lead equals medal' was their formula. Overcoming the associated problems of a pandemic and lack of a fixed training facility, López bagged the event’s first-ever gold.
Remembering the moment of glory he says, “When I qualified for the final, I burst into tears because I had accomplished the objective I had been working on for three or four years, some people spend many more years, but for me it was a huge percentage of years!”
“I got to the final and won, just like that. It was all unexpected, I couldn't believe it, David couldn't believe it, neither of us reacted.”
López emerged from obscurity, beyond all expectations, but he was immediately mired in anxiety post-Tokyo. “There was a bit of emptiness for a few months," he explains. "What do I do now? How do I re-focus my life if I've accomplished the next objective of my life?” He sought therapy and has regained his spirits.
One of many medals
© Phil Pham / Red Bull Content Pool
07
Future plans
López is not a planner, but knows where he’s headed. “I have small projects or big projects, including getting ready for the Games, but I don’t have anything huge in mind," he says. "I don’t like making long-term plans, because then if they don’t turn out well you get disappointed. I’d rather live day-by-day.”
But he's got a few other goals in the mix, such as pursuing a degree in physiotherapy and learning the English language. He also hopes to build a climbing academy for kids in the future.
“Go out there to compete as if it wouldn’t matter to you and enjoy it,” is the motto by which López competes right now. With his passion and perseverance, López is aiming to win the biggest events – one grip at a time, one medal at a time.
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