Lauren Mukheibir prepares to represent Bryanston in Paris

The Bryanston community will be represented at the Olympic Games in Paris this year when female African Sport Climbing champion Lauren Mukheibir (22) heads overseas to represent team South Africa at the games.

Mukheibir and three other South African climbers will be representing the African continent – along with three other climbers from Africa – at the international sporting event’s opening ceremony in July.

Currently training in Perth, she will be back in South Africa on June 4, where she will resume her training for two weeks, ahead of also participating in the Innsbruck World Cup from June 26–30.

“I train about 20 hours a week – 10 hours of climbing and 10 hours of strength training; it’s what my body can handle,” Mukheibir said, explaining the confidence and bravery required for climbing to the heights she has reached in this sport. “This confidence takes time, as it is something you practise throughout training sessions. Once you start you just build on it. I get quite scared with big jumps or boulders that require quite a few fast moves.”

For Mukheibir, who graduated cum laude from Edith Cowan University in Perth as a marine biologist in 2023, climbing has been a part of her life since she was nine years old. Now, she gets to contribute to the growth of the sport in her country of birth.

“At the moment there are limited facilities for climbing in SA and few coaches too. This is why I hope Team SA can show youngsters interested in the sport that there really are no limits to what heights they can scale in future,” said Mukheibir. “The growth of the SA climbing community has a really long way to go, but it’s making baby steps and that’s really important.

“I would love to see more awareness of the sport for kids – in schools, gyms, workshops.
“For those already climbing, keep at it! Climbing has many highs to enjoy, including the friendships you make along the way and the self-discoveries too. Consistency is key.”

On representing South Africa at the Olympics in Paris, Mukheibir had this to say:

“I have no expectations. Obviously, it’s a huge moment but I want to absorb everything and enjoy it. I don’t know what will happen after the Olympics. I will never stop climbing, but I have to get my career underway now too, and that’s also very exciting.”

While she doesn’t necessarily need sponsorships to compete, these are invaluable, for replacing shoes, and other necessary equipment.
Mukheibir has a BackaBuddy account to help her raise money to cover the expenses to support her pre-Olympic training.

These costs include the help of a team of specialists, like coaches, physiotherapists, biokinetics, nutritionists and sports psychologists.

Related article: Lauren Mukheibir to represent SA at the Olympics

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