Jakob Schubert Announces Bid to Qualify for 2028 Olympics
"I feel like I can still compete with anyone," said the 35-year-old two-time Olympic bronze medallist
Simon Rainer
Jakob Schubert just announced he intends to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. Climbing has only been part of the Olympics for two editions – Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 – and Schubert won bronze in both. His announcement for his 2028 Olympic bid has come on the final day of 2025, which also happens to be his 35th birthday. Schubert will only aim to compete in Lead in LA, leaving his Boulder comp climbing days behind him. He’ll be 37 years old the summer of the LA Games.
“Today I finally want to answer the question I’m getting a lot these days,” said Schubert. “Yes, I do want to qualify for the Olympics again. I want to make it to LA 2028. It has been something I was thinking a lot about, but today, my 35th birthday and the last day of the year, I feel like it’s a great opportunity to finally make that announcement of this long-term goal.
“Last year was a tough one, with a nasty injury and maybe not my best results ever. But more importantly, it showed me again how much I still love climbing and that I still have that same fire, that same motivation as 20 years ago that you really need to perform at the highest level. I feel like I can still compete with anyone. This goal gives me real purpose again, and I hope I can make it to the Olympics once more. I also hope I can get some guys of my generation psyched as well. Wish you all a great party and a Happy New Year.”
Schubert is one of the strongest climbers of all time. The 34-year-old Austrian is a rare athlete that has risen to the very top of sport climbing, bouldering, and comp climbing. He’s an absolute star in the competition world, inarguably the best male lead climber of all time. In the Lead climbing discipline, he has won gold at 21 World Cups events, four World Championships, and three Overall World Cup seasons. In Combined, he’s won two World Championships and four Overall World Cup seasons, plus two Olympic bronze medals.
Each edition of the Olympics has seen some changes in the format for climbing. In Tokyo 2020, Lead, Speed, and Boulder were combined, resulting in a total of only one medal per gender category. In Paris 2024, Lead and Boulder were combined, while Speed was its own category, giving the sport of climbing two medals per gender. At the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, we will see three distinct events: Lead, Boulder, and Speed. Each will receive one medal per gender.
