?But I Wouldn?t Be Able to Remain Sane?: Rock Climbing Sensation Detailed His Long Term Plan to Alex Honnold in 2020

Czech professional rock climber Adam Ondra, showed his potential at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. The 29-year-old specializes in ‘Speed climbing’ and ‘Bouldering’ and looked determined to clinch the gold in the Sport Climbing category in Tokyo. In a past interview with the experienced Alex Honnold, Ondra discussed what would be his dream championship win for him and also shared climbing insights from his experiences.

In a May 2020 interview on his own YouTube channel, Adam Ondra was all smiles talking to Alex Honnold about his ambitions in rock climbing. When enquired about his preparation, Ondra shared his long-term plan for the Olympics with him. Here’s what they discussed.

Adam Ondra had his Olympics training meticulously planned

In the interview also shared on Climbing.com, Honnold asked him, “With no competitions this year, what are you training for?” to which Ondra replied, “Long term, it’s the Olympics”. Ondra said it with a nod that clearly denoted its importance way above any other competition for him.

He said, “Surprisingly, it’s quite symbiotic. Some of the factors that are slowing me down in speed (climbing) are actually helping me so much in bouldering as well, or like the modern bouldering like the comp bouldering”. Ondra had also discovered another brilliant method to excel at Olympics training. He said, “Theoretically the most efficient way, how to be as good as possible next year for the Olympics, would be only climbing on plastic. From now on, all the way“. But he quickly admits to his own deficiency in coping with the regime mentally. He said, “But I wouldn’t be able to remain sane”, suggesting his innate need to go outside.

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While Ondra is famous for lead climbing and bouldering, he had to adapt to the speed climbing discipline since all three of them were combined into a single category at the Olympics. A decision many athletes heavily criticized at the Olympics.

The Tokyo Olympics didn’t bring much luck to him, but will Paris 2024 do?

Ondra did compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but failed to win any medals. He, however, echoed the sentiment shared by many climbers that year, about criticizing the decision to combine three disciplines of rock climbing into one. Lead climbing, bouldering, and speed climbing were put together as part of ‘Sport Climbing’.

However, for the next edition of the Olympics in Paris (2024), the IOC has taken into consideration the unjust nature of the limited competition in climbing and made a change. From one single category, climbers will now compete in two different categories of Sport Climbing. While one is a combined competition of bouldering and lead events, the other is a single speed climbing event.

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Let us hope this brings Ondra some added luck next year in Paris. With the kind of determination and focus he has shown, he might just clinch the gold next year.