Fans of the Olympic Games who are used to seeing extraordinary physical feats are in for a "treat" next year in Tokyo should they watch the rock climbers do their stuff.

The climbers will compete in three disciplines; bouldering, speed climbing and lead climbing. It is the first time that rock climbing is part of the Olympic program.

It is the speed climbing that is guaranteed to get people talking. The world record getting to the top of a 15-metre wall, which is overhanging at five degrees angle, is 5.48 seconds. Reza Alipour from Iran did so in 2017. YiLing Song from China holds the women's record, which is 7.10 seconds.

The biggest challenge facing the climbers won't be speed but versatility. They got to compete in all three disciplines. It is said that a lot of climbers don't care much for speed climbing. They focus on climbing with proper technique, as they love the mental aspect of mastering new climbing routes. 

The British climber Shauna Coxsey is quoted in an interview with the Olympic News saying: "No one has really transitioned before. No boulderer has transitioned to speed and lead, and no speed climber has done it to bouldering and lead."

She compared it to being expected from Usain Bolt to run the marathon as well as the 100 metres. 

Sean Rudd (TuksExploratio) said it would be interesting to see what impact rock climbing as an Olympic sport is going to have in South Africa. As things stand at the moment, he is not sure whether any local climber will qualify to compete next year in Tokyo. Lack of funding and enough training facilities is a definite drawback. 

"Our club numbers certainly dwindled since we had to close down our climbing wall at Tuks to be repaired." 

According to Rudd rock climbing entails much more than getting an adrenaline rush.

"During the Olympics, climbers will be challenged to complete three bouldering challenges each within four minutes. It requires a lot of power and a comprehensive set of skills.

"Being able to climb efficiently is probably the most essential skill in lead climbing. During a competition, the climbers are challenged by a 15-metre wall with at least 7 meters overhang. 

"You got to be thinking all the time as there is a specific sequence of holds you have to go through. If you get it wrong, you are going to end up being stuck on a grip where you do not want to be on.

"Speed climbing speaks for itself. All holds on the wall are standardized. It means no matter where in the world climbers compete, the route will be exactly the same. That's why it's possible at all to have a speed climbing record."

The TuksExploratio climbers are training until the end of October. The sessions usually start at 19:00 at St Albans College. They also regularly train at Waterval Boven and at venues in the Drakensberg.

Anyone interested in taking up rock climbing can contact Rudd at [email protected].