Shauna
Coxsey
United Kingdom
·
Bouldering
Date of birth | 27 January 1993 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Runcorn |
Age | 33 |
Nationality | United Kingdom |
Career start | 2012 |
Disciplines | Climbing Boulder |
Britain's first overall winner of the IFSC Bouldering World Cup Series and the first woman from the nation to boulder the grades of 8A+, 8B and 8B+, Shauna Coxsey is firmly established as the most successful competitive climber in British history.
While she now hopes to inspire other young British climbers, her own rise to prominence began when she was just four years old. Initially too small to even scale the climbing wall, she remained undeterred and, a few months later, was finally able to gain her first experience of climbing. From that moment, she knew that climbing was her thing.
World Cup wins and championship medals
Having sustained a shoulder injury at the 2016 Munich World Cup, which prevented her from competing in that year’s World Championship (despite topping the overall standings in the World Cup), she recovered in time to win the first World Cup event of 2017 and went on to be named 2017’s IFSC Bouldering World Cup overall winner for the second successive year.
In 2019, Shauna won two bronze medals at the IFSC Climbing World Championships in Hachiōji, Japan – in Bouldering and Combined.
Her performance during that 2019 World Championship saw Shauna set a British women's speed climbing record of 9.141s, and her run to the finals in Combined meant that she qualified for Tokyo.
As Great Britain's first-ever sport climber, Shauna, competed in Tokyo, but due to a longstanding back injury, which meant she couldn't train, she missed out on the final, finishing 10th overall in the standings.
Embracing a new challenge
Having retired from competition climbing, Shauna got married and had a daughter. However, she hasn't stepped away from the climbing scene following those lifestyle changes and she's since taken up rock climbing.
She's also still part of the climbing community through her work with Women's Climbing Symposium, which she helped found.
Having been a pivotal figure in increasing climbing participation in the United Kingdom, she now wants to see more diversity in the sport.
“Climbing is a sport that can be for everybody and it feels like there's a lot of people who are passionate about making that happen. I've done so much to increase participation among female climbers and the goal of the Women’s Climbing Symposium is to connect, develop and inspire.”
One of only four women ever to have climbed a boulder route graded 8B+, the third-most-difficult rating, Shauna has never been one to shy away from a new challenge and is embracing the next stage of her career.
“Change is something that I'm familiar with as an athlete - I've been through many injuries, so I've had my plans change. I'm good at accepting my emotions. You can't change your emotions, but you can put things in place to change how you feel in the future.”
Gym training is essential for Shauna Coxsey
© Matthew Bird/Red Bull Content Pool
Not many climbers can boast of having a climbing wall in their own home
© Matt Bird
Shauna Coxsey training at The Climbing Works in Sheffield
© Jake Thompson/Red Bull Content Pool
Shauna Coxsey training on a fingerboard at The Climbing Hangar Matchworks
© Matthew Bird/Red Bull Content Pool