Slovenian sport climbers first among the best

Sport climbing is getting closer to the Olympics season by season - the first Olympic torch will be lit at this year's Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, while the seniors will experience their Olympic premiere in 2020 in Tokyo, and this season the focus will be on the World Sport Climbing Championships in Innsbruck. The Slovenian senior and youth sport climbing team and the Slovenian paraclimbing team presented their selected teams for this season, upcoming competitions and goals on April 9, 2018, at the Ljubljana Climbing Center, while the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia signed a general sponsorship agreement with Prva osebna zavarovalnica for the sport climbing teams.



Sport climbing embodies the core values of the Olympic movement - it is exciting, healthy, affordable, and widespread across all continents, among different generations and both genders. It is not just a competitive or recreational discipline, but represents a way of life, with an emphasis on high ethical standards and based on human trust. This is also recognized by Prva osebna zavarovalnica, which has taken over the general sponsorship of the Slovenian sport climbing team and some sport climbing competitions. The contract was signed by the executive directors of Prva osebna zavarovalnica Janez Kranjc and Boštjan Škufca Zaveršek, and the president of the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia Bojan Rotovnik and the head of the Sport Climbing Commission of PZS Aleš Pirc.



"This year marks 40 years since the beginning of the development of sport climbing in Slovenia. At the beginning, alpinists engaged in this form of climbing difficult routes, but over time, sport climbing developed into an independent sports discipline with a branched international competitive system, in which Slovenian female and male competitors have been among the best for many years. Inclusion in the upcoming Olympic Games has further increased the recognition and spread of sport climbing, but it has also brought many additional obligations. Therefore, we are glad that today with Prva osebna zavarovalnica we are establishing a partnership for a three-year general sponsorship of the sport climbing teams, which I believe will be beneficial and successful for both sides," said the president of the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia Bojan Rotovnik after signing the contract, while the executive director of Prva osebna zavarovalnica Janez Kranjc emphasized: "Given the exceptional competitive results of Slovenian sport climbers who compete in national selections, we decided to support this sport with great enthusiasm. We consider it an honor to connect with dedicated and determined athletes, and with their motivation, there are also plenty of ideas for quality connections and strength to conquer new peaks. We are guided by synergies, as we all like to be first - first in line, first on the podium, first among the best."



For two years already the first in the world in the nations' cup in difficulty is the Slovenian sport climbing team, which this season consists of female sport climbers Janja Garnbret, Katja Kadić, Tjaša Kalan, Mia Krampl, Julija Kruder, Vita Lukan, Mina Markovič, Lučka Rakovec, Urška Repušič, Lana Skušek and Tjaša Slemenšek, and male sport climbers Martin Bergant, Jernej Kruder, Anže Peharc, Milan Preskar, Zan Sudar, Domen Škofic and Gregor Vezonik. This year's selected team was presented by selector Gorazd Hren and he outlined the goals: "The main goal of the season is definitely the World Championships, which will be in September in Innsbruck. We aim high in individual disciplines, but I wouldn't specifically highlight individuals, we know who the main actors are, but we also hope for some surprises. At the championships themselves, I would like us to try out the combination in addition to the fights in individual disciplines, which will be a kind of test for next year's championships, which will also count for Olympic qualifications."



As said by the assistant selector and coach Luka Fonda, in addition to the World Championships, the Slovenian representatives are awaiting fourteen World Cup competitions this year, starting this weekend in Switzerland and ending in October in China, and not in Kranj as for many years, since the traditional competition on home soil will be already on September 29 and 30 this year, as explained by the Kranj WC leader Tomo Česen. The team has so far completed three national preparations and more than 25 joint trainings. In January, they focused on learning speed in Innsbruck with an Italian expert and training speed and bouldering, in February they had five-day preparations in Germany and conducted annual measurements at the Faculty of Sport, the last preparations in March were again in Germany, where they participated in a strong international masters and achieved excellent results. "We have placed a lot of emphasis this year on the style of competitive bouldering and the tactics at the competition itself. I am very satisfied with all the trainings and preparations, as I believe they were at a high quality level. I am also satisfied with the current preparedness of our competitors, as most have made great progress both in climbing and in strength measurements and basic preparedness. I believe we can enter the bouldering season very optimistically and with a desire for excellent results," summed up the previous preparations coach Urh Čehovin. The World Cup in bouldering starts for the senior selected team on April 13 in Meiringen, and in difficulty on July 6 in Villars, also in Switzerland.



The season has already started successfully for the Slovenian youth sport climbing team - with a silver medal for Lučka Rakovec among cadets and a bronze medal for Lucija Tarkuš among older girls at the opening European Cup competition in France last weekend. This year's highlights will be the World Youth Championships in Moscow and the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, also very important are both European Youth Championships: bouldering in Belgium and difficulty and speed in Austria. "The goal of the World Youth Championships, which is scheduled for August, is to place as many of our representatives as possible in the finals in various disciplines. We have individuals who are capable of joining the fight for the highest places. Our representatives at the Youth Olympic Games are Vita Lukan and Lučka Rakovec. Here too, we aim for placement in the finals, where anything can happen. We must be aware that the competition format is something new for both organizers and competitors," predicted the youth team selector Anže Štremfelj and added that in planning this year's season, they included more speed training in the work plan, so they are impatiently awaiting the opening of the first speed wall in Slovenia.



"I have to admit that the results of the past two seasons burden me a bit, but as always, I don't want to set goals and have big expectations. Above all, I want to enjoy and give my all. We have trained, now we just have to show it at the competition," emphasized Janja Garnbret (Šaleški AO), the current world champion in difficulty, European vice-champion in bouldering and two-time double overall World Cup winner, who last year as the first competitor in history achieved nine World Cup victories in the same season, and at the same time won the overall WC in combination with by far the highest number of points (1135). Just like the team, the 19-year-old champion from Carinthia is also focusing on the World Championships, but a special challenge awaits her - the matura exam. "Indeed, my attention is also directed to the World Championships. I want to defend the title of world champion, but I will devote a bit more focus to bouldering, because I haven't competed at the World Championships in bouldering yet and I want to achieve a good result. The matura will affect mainly the bouldering season this year, I will skip quite a few World Cup competitions. I hope it won't affect the trainings, but it is true that it will take a lot of focus. I hope I will succeed in both, as I wish," we can trust Janja's words, as the student of Velenje Gymnasium has successfully combined school and competitions for all these years, and two weeks ago at the Studio Bloc bouldering masters in Germany, she already stepped on the second podium.



Mina Markovič (ŠPK Plus) is looking forward to the start of her already fifteenth World Cup season, who added the title of European vice-champion in difficulty to all the exceptional achievements of previous years last year, and in 2016 won a bronze medal at the World Championships in difficulty: "I am glad that this time before my main part of the season in difficulty, after quite some time, I will also participate in two bouldering World Cup competitions. Of course, the main focus remains the difficulty competitions with the start of the World Cup and a very busy pace in July and the World Championships in September. I wouldn't burden myself with results. In bouldering, I mainly want to take advantage of the offered opportunity to perform at the international level, and in difficulty, prepare well and follow the top, as I have for some years now." The team member with the longest tenure notices most how competitive climbing is developing and changing in recent years: "You constantly have to follow trends and adapt your way of working, often also predict where things will turn. In recent years, climbing is going especially more in a dynamic, coordinative and physical direction, so you have to work much more holistically and in many more areas at the same time than perhaps before."



Katja Kadić (PK Škofja Loka) also showed stable top form last year with constant placement in the World Cup finals in bouldering, who is already enthusiastically awaiting this year's opening World Cup competition: "Most competitors time their peak form for the first competition in Meiringen, even though the Studio Bloc masters is becoming a traditional prelude to the bouldering season. I assess my performance at this competition as good, some small details showed up where there is still room for improvement. I have actively worked on all these small details in the last two weeks, I was slightly hindered by a minor finger injury that appears from time to time in a milder form. With intensive physiotherapeutic help and encouraging training results, I am looking forward with joy and enthusiasm to the first competition, which will be the real indicator of the balance of power in this year's season." The boulderer wants to perform in some difficulty competition this year in addition to the Kranj one, but she is aware that she will also have to devote herself to speed.



The Studio Bloc Masters was an excellent introduction to the season for Jernej Kruder (ŠPO PD Celje Matica), as at the end of March he achieved a bronze medal at the bouldering competition, and last year he also stood on the World Cup podium for the first time, right at the beginning of the season in China. "For this year, I have no expectations whatsoever, only that I hope for nice weather and as much climbing on rock as possible, and that I can hardly wait to perform at competitions. I can hardly wait for the The Rock Ljubljana masters, as this year we have invested much more work in preparations. It was great already last year, we just keep our fingers crossed for nice weather at this year's edition, because there will be even more competitors than last year," said the Celje resident, also this year the ambassador of the bouldering competition, which will be on May 19 at Congress Square in Ljubljana.



The biggest surprise of the past year was provided by Anže Peharc (AO PD Kranj), who won a bronze medal at the European Championships in bouldering, and that at his first European Championships, and this year his first senior World Championships await him. "The main goal of this year's season is a successful performance at the World Championships in Innsbruck. Of course, the achievement in last season was a big surprise for me, so this year too I will take all World Cup competitions relaxed, without greater pressure, and at the end we will see what the result will be. Let's be surprised. Just like last year, this season I am devoting myself to bouldering with the exception that this year I will try to perform also at some difficulty competition," predicts the former world and European youth champion, who does not lack drive with the desire to step on the highest podium at a World Cup competition also in senior competition.



This has already succeeded several times for Domen Škofic (ŠPO PD Radovljica), the 2016 World Cup winner in difficulty, but last year he did not manage to fully repeat that fantastic season. After silver at the WC competition in Villars, he placed almost the entire season in excellent but ungrateful fourth or fifth place. "The recipe for the victory podium is to trust yourself and the right people who help you on the way there. Certainly, vision, patience and enjoyment in the entire process are very important," realizes the Radovljica resident, who learned a lot from last season: "Last year I set very high goals, but plans started falling apart already at the very beginning of the bouldering season. The European Championships were just the drop over the edge, where I had the feeling that everything turned against me. The new time rule is not my favorite, but it is the same for everyone and I don't burden myself with it anymore. I learned a lot, so I go into this season relaxed and have no expectations. But I will definitely enjoy and show my maximum!"



Domen's club colleague Vita Lukan (ŠPO PD Radovljica) also excelled in difficulty climbing last year, becoming the youth European champion, and in her first senior final she achieved seventh place. This year she will compete more among seniors, of course also vie for a place in the team for performance at the European or World Youth Championships, and the highlight of the season will definitely be the Youth Olympic Games for her, as she and Lučka Rakovec will perform in Buenos Aires in October at the first Youth Olympic Games: "The Youth Olympic Games are right after the senior World Championships in Innsbruck, so I count that at that time the form will be at as high a level as possible. I am really looking forward to the Games, as it will definitely be an unforgettable experience that will be offered to me only once in a lifetime. But until then, there is still a long season and many hard trainings and other competitions await me."



The Slovenian paraclimbing team under the leadership of selector Jurij Ravnik is also at the world top. Last year, the deaf-blind climber Tanja Glušič (AK Ravne), overall winner of the World Cup in the combined category B1-3 (vision limitation), and Gregor Selak (Society for the Development of Climbing Culture), who defies multiple sclerosis with climbing, regularly won medals, and last year he was third in the World Cup in category RP3 (with limited movement, strength or balance). Also in the focus of the paraclimbing team, which is joined this year by Matej Arh (AO PD Kranj), is the World Championships in Innsbruck, the second for Selak, who won a bronze medal in 2016 in Paris: "I started this year's season with a new old coach Roman Krajnik. The main goal of the season is the World Championships in Innsbruck, the entire training program is subordinated to that. Now I am training according to a new program from the beginning of March and I am very satisfied with the progress so far. In my category, there are currently five competitors who stand out from the others, two French, two English and me. Maybe some new candidate for medals at the World Championships will be found in this year's season."