IFSC Asian Qualifier 2023: Schoolboy Anraku Sorato is no ordinary teenager once he scales a wall
The 16-year-old Japanese climber is coming off a historic debut on the World Cup circuit, but that is only the beginning. Anraku has his eyes set on securing a Paris 2024 quota spot this weekend in Jakarta.
At first glance, you wouldn’t notice that Anraku Sorato is arguably the world’s best male sport climber. Rather, just your average 16-year-old in Japan.
Anraku largely goes unnoticed at his high school in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture. At 1.68m, he does not stand out for his height and seldom raises his hand in class.
His hair is styled like a lot of the other boys. His diet is far from that of an elite athlete. He is a connoisseur of junk food, ramen and fried chicken. Not a huge fan of vegetables.
But as soon as he scales a wall, few in the world are better than Anraku - if any. He is anything but your average teenager.
In his debut World Cup season, Anraku - his name 'Sorato' stems from kanji characters for outer space, which his father Takeshi loves, and the Big Dipper - took the sport by storm.
He won the overall title in both boulder and lead, becoming the first-ever climber to sweep the two in the same year.
Anraku handles both disciplines at a world-class level but says he is more confident in the lead because bouldering, ultimately, comes down to the problems on any given day which are beyond his control.
The teenager was introduced to climbing by Takeshi, who dragged his son to a nearby gym when he was in the second grade. Anraku was instantly hooked, and it didn’t take long for him to not only surpass his father but also become a name at national competitions.
Anraku - boasting a 1.82m wingspan and a good work habit - is known around the climbing fraternity for his consistency at competitions.
It is no coincidence then that he looks up to Frenchman Mejdi Schalck, world No.3 in the combined rankings, who has a similar reputation for rising to the occasion.
At just 16, Anraku Sorato is the only climber in history to win the boulder and lead overall World Cup titles in the same year.
Anraku comfortably won the Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China, in October and while he placed fourth at the IFSC World Championships this summer, missing out on a quota for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, he has another shot this weekend.
Should Anraku top the podium at the 9-12 November Asian Qualifier in Jakarta, he will secure a spot at Paris 2024*, which would be the second for Japan. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Narasaki Tomoa has already obtained the first with his bronze at the worlds.
Anraku appears to be confident he can get the job done this time around.
“If I perform to the best of the ability I have right now, I think I can win the championship,” he told reporters before hopping on a plane to Indonesia on Tuesday, 7 November. “I just need to prepare properly so I can finish first.”
Wise and grounded beyond his age, Anraku wants to make sport climbing more mainstream. Obtaining a quota for the next Olympic Games would be a major step in achieving that goal.
“You become famous when lots of people see you on TV. I want to spread climbing from my hometown by winning World Cups but I think the Olympics is the fastest way to get your sport out there and recognised,” he said during an interview with the Climbers website.
“I want to compete at the Olympics and by winning there, hopefully more people will become familiar with climbing. More than anything, I want people to get excited about climbing.”
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.