Shauna
Coxsey
United Kingdom
·
Bouldering
Date of birth | 27 January 1993 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Runcorn |
Age | 33 |
Nationality | United Kingdom |
Career start | 2012 |
Discipline | Climbing Boulder |
Shauna Coxsey discovered climbing at the age of four after seeing French climber Catherine Destivelle on television. Initially too small to climb on her first visit to a wall, she returned a few months later and quickly found the sport that would go on to shape her life.
Boulder World Cup titles and Olympic debut
Coxsey became the first British climber to win the overall Boulder World Cup title in 2016, securing four event victories during the season. She successfully defended the crown in 2017 with another four World Cup wins, completing back-to-back overall titles.
At the 2019 World Championships in Hachioji, Japan, Coxsey won bronze medals in both Boulder and Combined. During the event, she also set a then-British women's speed climbing record of 9.141 seconds, while reaching the Combined final secured her qualification for Tokyo 2020.
Coxsey represented Great Britain when sport climbing made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020. Competing while managing a longstanding back injury, she finished 10th in the women's Combined qualification, with the Games marking the end of her competition career.
From competition to outdoor climbing
After retiring from competition climbing in 2021, Coxsey shifted her focus back to outdoor climbing. Already the first British woman to climb boulders graded 8A+, 8B and 8B+, she has continued to push at the highest level on rock, adding a string of difficult ascents in the years since Tokyo.
She's also still part of the climbing community through her work with the Women's Climbing Symposium, which she founded in 2011.
Having been a pivotal figure in increasing climbing participation in the United Kingdom, she now wants to see more diversity in the sport.
“Climbing is a sport that can be for everybody and it feels like there's a lot of people who are passionate about making that happen. I've done so much to increase participation among female climbers and the goal of the Women’s Climbing Symposium is to connect, develop and inspire.”
Her exploration beyond competition has also taken her into new climbing disciplines. In 2025, Coxsey teamed up with Rotimi Odukoya for a nine-pitch ascent of Zuma Rock in Nigeria, completing the first documented ground-up ascent of a new route on the 300-metre monolith.
First female ascent of The Olympiad
In 2026, Coxsey became the first woman to climb The Olympiad, an 8b/5.13d deep-water solo route at Skrinkle Haven in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The 12-metre line, established by Neil Gresham in 2012 and regarded as the UK's hardest deep-water solo, follows a steep 45-degree overhang above the Celtic Sea.
Despite it being her first serious deep-water solo project, Coxsey completed the route on only her second attempt, making it the fastest ascent of The Olympiad to date.
“Sending this route on my second try from the start was not at all what I expected, and I still can’t quite believe it,” she said. “It was an experience that will stay with me forever and one of my favourite climbing moments to date.”
Gym training is essential for Shauna Coxsey
© Matthew Bird/Red Bull Content Pool
Not many climbers can boast of having a climbing wall in their own home
© Matt Bird
Shauna Coxsey training at The Climbing Works in Sheffield
© Jake Thompson/Red Bull Content Pool
Shauna Coxsey training on a fingerboard at The Climbing Hangar Matchworks
© Matthew Bird/Red Bull Content Pool