Young rock climbers reaching new heights
For 14-year-old Jasper Mullaly and 15-year-old Tihana Picot, there is no mountain too high when it comes to their dreams.
These 2 young athletes are racing to the top and will represent Australia at the World Youth Championships in South Korea this September.
Tihana and Jasper love the sport because of how intense, thrilling and challenging it is.
‘I started when I was 9 and kept going because I liked the adrenaline and how you figure out different routes with different movements,’ Tihana says.
‘It’s really physically challenging – my training is mostly climbing but also working on stretching and mobility because you need to be flexible.
‘Climbing is also mentally taxing, because it requires the ability to solve puzzles on the wall and understand the sequence created by the route setting teams.’
Core Climbing in Cornubia, which has the tallest rock climbing walls in Queensland, is like their second home.
Adults and children as young as 4 flock to this climbing gym to climb, rappel and reach new heights.
To keep climbers on their toes, the routes on the walls are changed weekly.
‘Anyone can get into climbing, as long as you like to work on things until you get it,’ Jasper says.
‘It’s super fun and super challenging.’
In the past 4 years, many young climbing stars have trained and been a part of the close-knit community at Core Climbing.
‘The community is amazing – everyone is so connected and friendly like a family,’ Tihana says.
‘We always motivate each other and are happy to help with moves for sequences.’
As for what’s next, Jasper and Tihana are aiming for the 2032 Olympics.
‘I’d love to climb for a living or continue climbing at a super high level if I wasn’t climbing competitively,’ Jasper says.
Climbing gym owner Ian Gilmartin says it’s incredibly rare for two climbers from the same gym to have national champion potential.
‘We are grateful for Logan City Council and the amazing local community for giving climbing a go,’ he says.
‘Now we’re able to give climbers of all ages a place to hone their skills and become champions.
‘Logan City Council has also been phenomenal in supporting us and we’ll be hosting a state climbing event for the first time in October.’
The Queensland Youth State lead titles will be held on 7 and 8 October – any climber under the age of 19 is welcome to compete and spectators can watch for free.
Core Climbing is part of the Cornubia Park Sports Centre.
