Whether you climb rocks or train on plastic, you’ll understand the shared South African dream of wanting to climb overseas. This year, another special group of local talent had the privilege of wearing our green and gold abroad. From a Para-World Cup medal in Salt Lake City and new faces in the Open World Cup circuit to the fifteen Youth athletes who took on Helsinki. South Africa showed up and reminded the world that African climbing is rising. It was also a standout year for African Speed Climbing, with South African athletes producing three brand-new Continental records.

I’m Tegwen Oates, and this is my perspective on everything that unfolded. I was fortunate to attend three international Speed events this season, including two unique ones: The World Games and the World Championships. Over the past three years I’ve steadily improved my international ranking, and having competed in all three disciplines, I’ve gained a rare look into the world of international competition climbing.

A Year of Firsts: Emily Gray

Emily Gray is a name far more people should know. This absolute superstar took 2nd place at the 2025 IFSC Para World Cup in Salt Lake City, earning not only South Africa’s, but Africa’s first Para-World Cup medal. For many, it stands as Africa’s first World Cup medal in IFSC history.

Gray competes in the AL2 category, climbing with the use of only one leg. She has been part of Para climbing since 2018, but before that, she is a multi-time Paralympian in swimming. If you want to learn more about this phenomenal athlete who is redefining African Para Climbing, follow @emilyannegray_ or visit her website https://www.emilyannegray.com/ .

Speed Takes Centre Stage

While many of last year’s Olympic climbers took the season off, our Speed athletes – Aniya Holder and Josh Bruyns – continued pushing. Their season spanned some of the most iconic World Cups, from Bali to Chamonix.

Our Speed crew of four – Holder, Bruyns, Jay-D Muller, and myself –  were selected to represent South Africa at The World Games in Chengdu, China this August. TWG was a true multi-sport games experience, complete with athlete village, ceremonies, and the formal debut of two new events: 4-lane Speed and Speed Relay.

Speed Relay is competed on a 4-lane wall, with two athletes from the same country climbing back-to-back for a combined time. Both our men’s team (Bruyns and Muller) and women’s team (Holder and Oates) made finals, each setting new African Continental Speed Relay records.

Bruyns also broke his own Continental Speed record, now sitting at 5.62 seconds.

A New Generation Steps Into Open World Cups

The Open World Cup scene (where athletes compete against legends like Janja and Ondra) saw several new RSA athletes step onto the European and Asian stage for the first time.

Lead climbers Luke Westman, Maia Davies, and Caitlin Bouwer all competed across Europe, while Joey Johnson represented in Lead at the Bali World Cup.

Youth Worlds: Building the Future

The 2025 IFSC Youth World Championships in Helsinki was well attended by South Africa, with 15 athletes competing across multiple categories and disciplines. Many improved on their previous Youth Worlds performances, signalling a promising future for our youth programmes – especially as we build toward a historic milestone.

In 2026, the Youth Olympic Games will take place in Dakar, Senegal. Making the Games the first Olympic event ever held on African soil. This will be massive for African sport as a whole.

World Championships Seoul

Emily Gray and I attended the 2025 IFSC Climbing and Para Climbing World Championships in Seoul this October. A special event as World Champs occurs only once every two years.

Two hours before my qualification round, in collaboration with the IFSC and Climbers Against Cancer (CAC), I cut my long hair to raise awareness for cancer. My hair was cut by Tadashi Takano, a Japanese Para climber and childhood cancer survivor, making the moment even more powerful. Shedding a decent amount of weight probably helped in me beating my in-competition PB in qualis which was my season goal. See the video of the moment @tegweno or  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPAs41pD6PY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

After the event, Climbers Against Cancer invited me to become their first African ambassador.

The Bigger Picture

As a whole our athletes are working hard to train and get themselves to international events. By having the opportunity to attend such events we are able to not only gain experience (which most other countries experience at a domestic level due to performance facilities and constant access to new movements and holds), but physically see where we stand in comparison with international standards. All of which we bring home to grow our local communities in places we want to train and compete.

Congratulations, and well done!