Janja Garnbret

Janja Garnbret (born March 12, 1999, in Slovenj Gradec) is a top-level Slovenian sport climber, widely regarded as one of the greatest competition climbers of all time. Known for her extraordinary technique, strength, and focus, she has won nearly everything there is to win in the world of climbing — both in competitions and on natural rock. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021), she made history by becoming the first-ever Olympic champion in climbing, dominating the combined event (lead and bouldering). In Paris 2024, she defended her title, winning another gold medal in the Boulder & Lead combined discipline. Janja has achieved: – 8 gold and 2 silver medals at World Championships, – 47 IFSC World Cup victories (30 in lead, 17 in bouldering), – the distinction of being the first climber ever to win all six bouldering World Cups in a single season (2019), – multiple European Championship titles, including three golds in 2022 (lead, bouldering, and combined). She’s also made climbing history outdoors — as the first woman to onsight a 5.14b (8c) route (Fish Eye), and she has successfully climbed several 9a routes. In 2020, together with Domen Škofic, she completed the tallest chimney in Europe (360 m) in Trbovlje in just 7.5 hours — the world’s longest artificial climbing route.