Brooke Raboutou exclusive: “The hardest part about always wanting to improve is rarely feeling satisfied”
In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, the USA Climbing star reveals the tools and tactics she has gained since Tokyo 2020, and how striking a better balance in life has helped her on the wall.
Sport Climbing
Brooke Raboutou is trying to find balance in the world of elite sport climbing.
On one hand, the USA star wants to stay present and simply enjoy her achievements.
But the reality is that Raboutou is also her own biggest critic, and the quest for perfection almost always trumps her desire to celebrate.
*“*The hardest part about always wanting to improve is rarely feeling satisfied,” Raboutou told Olympics.com at the OQS Shanghai.
“I think my biggest motivator is just wanting to improve and be better for as long as I can be. On no particular moment, but just continuous improvement and even the ups and downs, that happens. But just overall continuing to improve and just learn and better myself, as both a climber and a person.”
Clearly, it’s working. Raboutou is in a rich vein of form at the moment, having taken first place at the Olympic Qualifier Series Shanghai in her bid to make a second Games at Paris 2024.
“Even with this win, I'm still looking at ways that I can improve. I'm not leaving completely satisfied. Although I am really happy and still proud of my performance. So I'm excited to rejoice in the victory and then go home and get back to work.”
Brooke Raboutou's new tactics and tools
Raboutou may only be 23-years-old, but she has the aura - and resume - of a seasoned veteran.
The USA Climbing star became the youngest person in the world to climb 5.14b, aged 11, before finishing fifth on sport climbing’s Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 at the age of 20.
Typically, the Colorado native was disappointed with her fifth place finish in Japan, but she wouldn’t be defeated by it.
Having learnt some valuable lessons, that experience only further fuelled her desire to become the best.
In the current Olympic cycle, she has secured several podium finishes in the World Cup - including to her first victory in 2023, in Hachioji, Japan - before securing top spot at the OQS Shanghai.
“I have a lot of tactics now. I think the more competitions I do and the older I get, the more tools I have in my toolkit to manage those hard times,” she continued.
“For me, it's usually just coming back to my breath, and focusing on recentering myself and being present and, really just being in touch with myself and doing it for myself. Not anyone else. Not all the pressure or the hype or the what ifs, but really just trying to be in the moment and give everything I have.”
Climbing to Rabatou, like so many of her rivals, means much more to her than simply trophies and accolades.
Perhaps this is because, as the daughter of former World Cup winners Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou and Didier Raboutou, the sport has been part of her life for as long as she can remember.
While competition can be stressful, working problems out on the wall or outside in nature is a form of therapy for the younger Raboutou.
*“*I could list 100 things why climbing is so special. I think it's definitely impressive for the crowd, whether they understand it or not, looking at the physicality as well as the mental strength needed to compete in both Bouldering and Lead,” she said.
“But for me, I love it purely for the pure movement and the fact that I can bring my own style into it and I can really lose myself on the wall. I just love that.
*“*We are literally problem solving every day in climbing, but also just trusting our instincts. So I've really been working on that balance because I sometimes overthink things. In training, it's really awesome to understand the problems and find different ways of solving them, so that in competition I can try and turn the brain off, trust the body, and just do what we're capable of doing."
Her brother is also a successful rock climber, and the benefits of improving on the wall, clearly extend into life for the Raboutou family.
“The fact that you can always get better and always push the sport’s limit, there's so much more that we can do and continue to learn. And that's really exciting.”
Making the plane to Paris would be special to the Raboutou family on several levels.
On top of the fact that Brooke could win an elusive Olympic medal, the Games are taking place in the country of her father’s birth.
“Paris is a big dream of mine, so I'm really hoping to get there. My dad's family's from the south of France, so it'd be really cool to compete in the country,” she said.
But before she gets too carried away with her hopes for the future, Raboutou the pragmatist kicks back in, once again providing the balance that has seen her scale the top of the sport.
“But I'm really enjoying the journey, even with the challenges. Every day I’m proud of the work I'm putting in. And that feels really good. I do look towards the future, but I’m really trying to be present in the moment and show up every day giving my all and just being happy with what I do.”
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective teams at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at Paris 2024 depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation. Click here to view the qualification system for each sport.
You can watch the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in Budapest from 19-23 June live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.