Indonesian climber hopes to scale new heights at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Born March 21, 1995, in the Grobogan regency located in the north-eastern part of the Central Java province in Indonesia, Rahayu used to climb trees in parks and at home, a favourite game and adventure to embark on.

But a career in climbing was made possible by her junior high school teacher, who introduced her to the sport in 2007.

As a child, she felt a mix of adrenalin and wonder when she climbed, experiences that have stayed with her ever since.

Even now, as a 24year-old, she says she maintains this approach when climbing the wall against an opponent.

“The wall in sport climbing is high,” she told Kyodo News, “so it’s exhilarating, like an adventure.

“It’s like I’m competing against myself, [that’s] how to beat my own record.”

Rahayu made her debut in 2017 at the IFSC World Cup and won her first silver medal, and came third in speed at the Asian Championships in Tehran that same year.

Since then, Rahayu has continued to be consistent with her breathtaking climbs.

In 2018, she competed again at the IFSC World Cup in Chongqing and won her first gold medal.

But by the end of the season, she had got one bronze in Tai’an and two more gold medals in Wujiang and Xiamen.

Now Rahayu has set her sights on Tokyo 2020 next summer, where climbing will be included at an Olympic Games for the first time.

But in order to qualify for a medal, she will not only compete in speed climbing but will also need to contend with two other categories – bouldering and lead climbing.

Speed climbing, Rahayu’s strongest discipline, is a form of indoor rock climbing that allows athletes to compete for the fastest time to the top of a 49ft wall on a fixed route.

And to standardise the sport in competitions, the same climbing wall, holds and routes are used each time.

The incredible Indonesian was also named on Forbes Asia’s “30 under 30” list of influential young people in May 2019, alongside other world-changing sportswomen, such as Naomi Osaka.