Combatting Mental Health Adversity, USA’s Star Speed Climber Secures Coveted Spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics

The 23-year-old American sports climber has been mastering the World Cup circle since 2021. She attained various gold medals and emerged as the second American to accomplish the Bouldering World Championship. To add, she is one who has also been shattering obstacles and chronicles, such as becoming the first woman to defeat Janja Garnbret in a Boulder World Cup since 2018. Recently, the rising star also led her way as she took part in the Pan American Games to secure her spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But apart from her astonishing victories lies a history of barriers and determination. She has met difficulties and hindrances throughout her climbing profession. However, she has learned to overcome them through persistence, consciousness, and delight before bookmarking her place for the Olympics.

Natalia Grossman attains gold and Olympics spot

Natalia Grossman, from Colorado, gratified her dream of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics by achieving gold at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. She shone in the women’s Boulder & Lead event, being the only mounter to top three out of four boulders and arrive at the summit on the Lead wall. She gained a total of 176.4 points, edging out her friend and teammate Brooke Raboutou, who took silver with 165.4 points.

After her victory, she said, “I feel like the Olympics just happened. But that’s also exciting because it’s so soon and I am excited to try and make it. Exciting is what comes to mind.” Grossman was overcome with emotion as she scored the last Olympic quota place for Team USA, who swept all four spots in sport climbing at the Pan American Games. She said she was delighted and proud of her long haul and commitment and looked forward to representing her nation at the Olympics.

She also praised Raboutou, saying they had a poignant feeling as they both wanted to go to Paris. She added that she always had fans on when climbing, even in cold weather, to keep her hands cool. She explained the moment when she realized she had won as dreamlike and unreal. But none of this was easy for the climber as she had gone through a difficult patch in life. But overcoming all that, Grossman is making her way toward creating history.

Fighting mental health with the path of courage

Natalia Grossman is a world champion and the top-ranked boulderer in the world, but she has not always been assertive and glad about her capabilities. She has hustled with fear, second thoughts, and stress since she started mounting professionally. She has faced hopes from herself, her mentors, her peers, and her fans and has dealt with traumas, defeats, and disappointments.

Grossman searched for help from a sports psychologist, who taught her strategies such as breathing patterns, positive reinforcements, meditation, and goal planning. She also learned to be more open about her feelings and thoughts and to concentrate on the now rather than the past or the future.

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The athlete also started to enjoy mounting more and had a great time with it. She found fun in challenging herself, showing herself, and fixing with others through mounting. She understands that having joy enhances her performance and evolved an affirmative attitude and a growth mindset that helped her overcome her mental barriers.

During those times she stated, “If I’m having fun, I’m going to perform better. I remember reading things—which is my fault, I shouldn’t read things or listen to things about myself, I’ve learned. But some people were like, I can’t wait to watch Brooke and Natalia get defeated in Innsbruck when they’re not slab climbing”. She shows bravery and resilience in facing condemnation and negative thinking. Furthermore, the fans of Grossman are keen to see more wonderful and historical victories coming her way as she makes her way to the Paris Olympics and goes home victorious after the Pan Am Games 2023.

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