The stars are aligning for Mt Victoria climber Angie Scarth-Johnson this year.
The 14-year-old has just returned from competing for the first time in the International Federation of Sport Climbing Youth World Championships in Moscow, placing in the semi-finals in lead climbing and has also discovered she is eligible to compete in the Olympics because she will “scrape in” by turning 16 in time for the qualifying event for the 2020 games in Tokyo.
“I was so nervous at the world champs, it was my first one and just knowing how hard the other girls from the other countries are trying. For the Olympics I will need to do a lot of international competitions which is why I went to Moscow.”
It was announced in July that climbing will now be an Olympic event, but Angie isn’t surprised. “From the seven years I’ve been climbing I’ve seen the sport growing so much and climbing is so popular, especially in Japan [for Tokyo 2020] and France [for Paris 2024]. The climbing communities there are huge.”
The home schooled student previously attended Blackheath, Mt Victoria Public Schools and Kindlehill in Wentworth Falls but is away so often that her mum teaches her now.
She has sponsors who help the family with expenses. The main one is global brand The North Face. She’s opening their Melbourne store and giving a talk in Sydney called “She Moves Mountains” in coming weeks and will also meet up with other international North Face athletes later this year in Puerto Rico.
Earlier this year she placed first at nationals for Youth B (girls 14-15) in bouldering, speed climbing and lead climbing for the seventh year running.
“Everything is falling into place.”
