If you're an average fifteen year old girl, the ascent to success probably revolves around your board exams. But not for Chea Marak, national sport climbing champion and one of India's medal hopes at the forthcoming world championships. Just back from the recently concluded National Sport Climbing Championship in New Delhi where she won two gold medals, she also won bronze at the Asian Youth Sport Climbing Championship held in Kazakhstan in July 2009.
For those unfamiliar with the sport, climbing competitions are of three kinds -- speed climbing, lead climbing and bouldering; Chea focuses on the first two.
While two climbers go head-to-head to hit the buzzer atop the artificial wall in speed climbing, the task in lead climbing is as much of the mind as it is physical sport. The climbers are given six minutes to look at the specially installed holds after which they are isolated from other climbers to prevent an unfair advantage. The climber who gets the furthest up the wall wins.
After having thrown the organizers of a local fun fair into a tizzy by climbing an artificial wall without a harness at the age of three, Chea has never looked back, or looked down. Taking to the sport under the guidance of national climbing team coach and Indian Mountaineering Foundation President Keerthi Pais, she has emerged as one of India's strongest medal hopes in the coming years.
"She has age on her side," says Pais of Chea's prospects. "With the right kind of training and support there is a lot that she can achieve."
Indeed, awareness about and support for sport climbing is low amongst the sporting community in the country. Dinesh KS, avid mountaineer and founder of the Bangalore-based adventure and outdoor gear company Wildcraft sponsors and supports Chea.
"When Keerthi spoke to us about Chea and her remarkable talent, the first thing that struck me was that we were so lucky to have someone like her in the country. Extending our support was the obvious thing to do as it was also for a sport that is quickly gaining acceptance," he says.
Pais believes that is only with a combination of government and corporate support that this nascent sport can find firm foothold. But Chea's confident sure-footedness on the wall-face backed by a company that is committed to adventure and the outdoors makes this the winning combination, and one to watch out for in the coming months.
