Adam Ondra (21) IWGA Athlete of the Year 2014

2014 was like a fairy tale

Adam Ondra from the Czech Republic was elected as IWGA Athlete of the Year 2014. The 21-year-old Czech climber from Brno topped the poll with 34.1% of the votes. Adam Ondra was crowned IFSC Boulder World Champion in Munich last year and was IWGA Athlete of the Month for August 2014. The new Athlete of the Year explains why he sees the success not only as an honor for himself but for all sport climbers, too.

How do you feel about being of IWGA Athlete of the Year 2014?

It is a great success, obviously for me, but most importantly for our sport of climbing. I am sure that climbing and its athletes deserve more attention and I am honored to be one of the athletes representing our sport internationally and world-wide. I hope this will make the competitions even more interesting.

What was last year like for you?

Last year was just a fairy-tale. My main goal was to win World Championships in lead, which I succeeded in. And on the top of that, the World Champion title in bouldering was a sweet surprise. At the same time, the season was not exactly easy either. I had many ups and downs, mainly due to mistakes during the competitions. That is why I value these two titles even more. I succeeded in overcoming downs and I performed well at the most important moment of the whole season. Despite previous failure and potential lack of confidence.

What are your upcoming goals?

My goal is to take part in the 2015 World Cup in the lead and bouldering disciplines I will try to get the highest overall position on both circuits. I know it will be extremely difficult, as it means I will have participate in 16 international competitions, but it is a great challenge that I want to accept.

Do you intend to take part in The World Games 2017 (Wroclaw/Poland)?

Yes, I will definitely take part in it. And I am looking forward to this, because I will have the chance to perform in The World Games for the first time in my career.