Adam Ondra Talks Comp Climbing with the IFSC

Adam Ondra recently sat down with IFSC commentator Matt Groom to talk all things comp climbing. In the interview, Ondra discusses the aftermath of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he placed sixth overall. He also speaks about his return to the competition circuit at the 2023 World Cup in Prague, and looks to the future about the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic games. He has some interesting thoughts on his balance between climbing on rock vs. plastic, as well as the future evolution of Boulder and Lead disciplines in competitive climbing,

Groom and Ondra discuss some non-comp climbing topics as well including Project Big in Flatanger, Norway. A long-time project of Ondra’s, Jakob Schubert made the first ascent of the route in 2023, naming it B.I.G. and grading it 5.15d, the third route in the world of the grade. In the interview, Ondra also gives his thoughts on other climbers including his Czech teammate Eliska Adamovska, Janja Garnbret, Alberto Gines-Lopez, Medji Schalck, and Schubert.

Ondra had mixed results this year on the competition circuit. He placed second at the Boulder World Cup in Prague in early June. A week later, he placed 19th at the Boulder World Cup in Brixen. He again placed second at the Lead World Cup in Villars in early July before taking some time off to prepare for the biggest event of the year, the World Championships in Bern.

He ended up placing eighth in both Boulder and Lead disciplines at the Championships and sixth overall in the Boulder & Lead Olympic combined format, missing out on his chance to earn an Olympic ticket. At the European Olympic Qualifier in October, he placed fourth, again missing that coveted Olympic qualifying spot. He’s expected to compete this spring at the final chance to earn a Paris Olympic ticket: the IFSC Olympic Qualifier Series held in May and June in Shanghai and Budapest.