Natalia
Grossman
United States
·
Bouldering
Date of birth | June 22, 2001 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Santa Cruz, CA |
Age | 25 |
Nationality | United States |
Career start | 2019 |
Disciplines | Climbing Boulder / Climbing Lead / Climbing Combined |
Natalia Grossman took the climbing world by storm during a phenomenal 2021, when she became the bouldering world champion and number one ranked athlete at the age of just 20. It's been a rapid rise to become the person Climbing magazine dubbed "America’s New Comp Superstar."
How Natalia fell in love with climbing
Natalia got her first taste of a climbing gym when she was 6 and it was an instant love. Once a week sessions quickly morphed into competing, and when Natalia was 15 her parents moved the family from California to Boulder, Colorado, so she could join Team ABC, one of the best youth squads in the United States.
The prospect of turning climbing into a career became a real possibility, especially after she took silver medals in bouldering and combined disciplines at the 2019 IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships in Arco, Italy.
The same year, while still only 17, Natalia went undefeated in the domestic bouldering National Cup Series and advanced to the semi-final of the Boulder World Cup in Vail, Colorado.
Announcing herself as a force on the world stage
After winning the 2020 USA Climbing Bouldering Open National Championship, Natalia announced her arrival on the world stage in one of the most impressive ways the sport has seen during the 2021 season.
She won two of the four events, finished on the podium in the other two and became the first person since 2018 to beat the great Janja Garnbret in a Bouldering World Cup on her way to the overall title. She then followed up with gold at the Bouldering World Championships to end the year as the undisputed world number one. Natalia also scored four podiums in lead climbing and a silver medal at the World Championships.
Carrying on where she left off in 2021, Natalia dominated the 2022 Bouldering World Cup, winning five of the six events and bagging third in the lead climbing series. In 2023, Natalia won first place at the IFSC Climbing World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA, and Brixen, Italy, in addition to placing second in Innsbruck, Austria.
A knee injury suffered during her winning performance at the Boulder World Cup in Salt Lake City in May put Natalia out of action until the Olympic Games in Paris, where she missed the finals, but another victory later in the season in Prague helped her to claim a fourth consecutive Bouldering World Cup overall title, making her the first athlete to ever do so.
Battling through the pain for a stunning national victory
After spending much of 2025 recovering from ACL and meniscus surgery, Natalia suffered a dislocated shoulder just one month before the 2026 USA Climbing Bouldering National Championships. Defying expectations, she returned to competition in Orlando and produced one of the most remarkable performances of her career, flashing three problems in the final to claim the national title despite still recovering from the injury. The victory served as a powerful reminder of the determination and composure that have defined her rise, reinforcing her status as one of the world's leading competition climbers.
Natalia Grossman gets some fresh air in Salt Lake City
© Daniel Milchev/Red Bull Content Pool
Natalia Grossman problem solves on the go
© Daniel Milchev/Red Bull Content Pool
Natalia Grossman competes in Innsbruck
© Erich Spiess/ASP/Red Bull Content Pool
Natalia Grossman at the USA Climbing Training Center in Salt Lake City
© Daniel Milchev / Red Bull Content Pool