Teenage climbing sensation determined to reach the top

By Will Castle

Climbing sensation Iggy Rinaldi is on a mission to prove that height is not the be all and end all in her sport.

Iggy, 15, is dominating at youth level and with back-to-back European titles already under her belt, she sits top of the pile in both the UK and European rankings.

Her remarkable achievements have seen a lot of people stand up and take notice of her talent – leading to her being shortlisted in the top 10 for SportsAid’s prestigious One-to-Watch Award.

The annual Award, launched in 2006, recognises Britain’s brightest young sporting prospects and has previously been won by Olympic champions Tom Daley and Alex Yee and Paralympic gold medallist Hollie Arnold.

The top 10 athletes have been selected from around 1,000 rising stars, supported by SportsAid, across more than 60 different sports in 2024.

Although Iggy is relatively petite compared to others in her category, she has not allowed her size to hold her back, proving her worth on the wall and putting her competition on notice.

She has demonstrated true mental resilience to overcome anxieties surrounding her supposed physical disadvantages, instead utilising her shorter stature to stand out from the crowd.

“I faced several challenges this year,” she said. “Overcoming mental blocks and anxieties around competing has been a big one.

“As a short climber, that was a bit of a battle for me, figuring out a different way around climbs due to being shorter.

“But it's actually helped me in the long run because I developed a different style of climbing, more dynamic, which has helped me a lot and has just shaped me as a climber.

“I think as a younger climber, it can be quite a big issue, especially in youth competitions where taller, younger athletes have an advantage because they can reach.

“But no, I don't think height is a step back. You just need to kind of work your way around it, figure out your own style, and it will be fine.”

Iggy is not short of inspiration within her sport, especially in the fallout of an historic Olympic Games, which saw Toby Roberts become Team GB's first-ever sport climbing Olympic champion at Paris 2024.

Setting the standard all future British climbers will seek to emulate, Iggy cites Roberts as one of her idols alongside 2023 lead world champion Ai Mori - who has similarly not let her size hold her back.

“Toby would be one of my biggest heroes because he's just so amazing, but also I think climbers like Ai Mori, she's a Japanese climber and she’s quite short like me,” Iggy added.

“I think she's one of my biggest inspirations because I just love her style of climbing, how she deals with things being a short climber. She just inspires me.”

Having conquered the British and European youth circuit, Iggy is now hellbent on going that one step further by claiming the throne as world champion in the next year.

She produced some of the best results at the 2024 Youth World Championships in China, leading her to an admirable sixth-place finish.

A world title at youth level is seen as the next natural progression for the already decorated climber in her pursuit of one day becoming the best on the planet.

“Next year, my biggest aim yet is to win the Youth World Championships, so I'm going to continue to train with my home coach, Guy [Davenport],” she said.

“I train a few times a week with Guy so I'm going to continue to do those sessions, but I'm aiming to maybe do more training up north in Sheffield, because they've got better walls than here in London.

“The main thing is to just continue training as I am, getting more experience, but also amping it up a bit. I want to break into the senior team and go to the World Cups, which would gain me the experience I need for the Olympics.

“My biggest long-term goal, I want to go to the Olympic Games and I want to win. I really want to be the best climber in the world one day. It's one of my biggest goals.”

However, Iggy is not only concerned with her own journey in sport climbing.

She is also very passionate about coaching, eager to get as many people as possible harnessed up and onto the wall.

“I think I'd like to go into coaching in the future, because I've gone through those stages as a young climber, so I've got lots of experience which I can help the kids with, which is really nice,” Iggy said.

“I really enjoy getting people into climbing because climbing is obviously good for you, but it's also a really fun sport.

“I like getting my friends or new people into climbing and really enjoy involving people in the sport.

“I like getting involved in fun competitions with a great atmosphere where there's new people climbing as well as experienced people. It's just really nice to be in the community.”

Iggy has been provided with crucial financial support by SportsAid in 2024 – with the charity also offering personal development opportunities through workshops and visits.

The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.

“They've been very helpful with my career so far and I'm very grateful,” Iggy said.

“I'm very excited for what they can offer and what's ahead in the future for me.”

SportsAid’s annual One-to-Watch Award is being supported by Aldi – the charity’s Official Supermarket Partner. The winner of this year’s Award will be revealed in December with each of the top 10 receiving cash boosts and special in-person visits at their training environments to celebrate their achievements.