Sports like wall and rock climbing have a great potential for young Pakistani athletes, who with a little government and corporate sector support can win laurels for the country

The growth of wall climbing in the 21st century can be well attributed to the characters of Spiderman. Wall climbing was born out of the ribs of Rock Climbing that first started as an organised activity in the Lake District of England in 1880 on the face of 115-feet rock popularly called Nap’s Needle.

Wall climbing is a miniaturized form of rock climbing, where the participants climb artificial surfaces constructed out of wood or other composite materials which can be placed both indoors and outdoors. This fast-growing sport among the youth of all age groups is often classed as an extreme sport.

Iqra Jilani, a BSC Marketing student, is the first female to represent Pakistan in this sport. She has broken stereotypes and entered the world of speed climbing.

Iqra is a professional wall and rock climber and mountaineer who has been passionate about adventure sports since the age of 5. A nominee of President Pride of Performance for 2024, Iqra is an esteemed professional athlete. She represented Pakistan in Asian Games 2022 Hangzhou, China.

Iqra’s illustrious career includes gold in the National championship and triumph in the All Pakistan Rock Climbing Competition. She also represented Pakistan at the Asia Cup in Riyadh in December 2023.

During a brief interview, Iqra said that she is focused more on speed climbing. She gave full credit to her coach Rehmat-Ullah who guided her in the sport. Iqra is now fully focused on improving upon her fitness for which she carries out regular strength training in the gym under professional trainers.

Iqra said that the primary objective of both rock and wall climbing is to move safely and quickly from the surface to desired objective and return. The techniques employed to achieve the climbing objectives vary according to the difficulty of the climbing surface and the skill level of the climber.

She said that wall climbing requires extensive physical fitness and mental robustness involving the ascent of a structure that is generally smaller than the typical rock climbing. The climbing wall used for competitions has pre drilled holes and grips built into the surface for ease of use by the climbers.

She said that it’s not just the brute muscular strength but the overall fitness, well developed endurance, aerobic fitness and flexibility that helps you in becoming a successful climber. Iqra said that she places special emphasis on her training and strengthening of fingers, wrist and forearms along with cardiovascular fitness.

Despite limited training opportunities and resources, Iqra has her eyes set over the Salt Lake (USA) Climbing World Cup to be held in May this year. Iqra said that nine medals wait in the categories of Speed, Boulder and Lead climbing categories of men and women. She was of the strong opinion that thrilling yet cheap sports like wall and rock climbing have a great potential for young Pakistani athletes, who with a little government and corporate sector support can win laurels for the country.

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