Janja Garnbret on what motivates her: "I'm a perfectionist, so I want to be great."

Janja Garnbret has literally won everything there is to win: an Olympic gold medal, six World Championship crowns, four European titles and 37 IFSC World Cup triumphs.

Even so, the Slovenian takes nothing for granted as she tries to build on her legacy as the most successful competitive climber in history.

Despite being accustomed to winning, Ganbret admits she does feel the pressure, but knows how to handle it: “In the end, what matters is that you show up, that you give 100 per cent out of yourself.”

Olympics.com had an in-depth conversation about her love for climbing, how she sees her future, her preparations for Paris 2024 and much more.

Check below the full interview with the one and only Janja.

Olympics.com (O): How would you describe the way that you climb?

Janja Garnbret (JG): When I'm the real me, when I have the right energy, when I have a good day and everything works out, I'm just, like, energised. I'm just happy to be on the mat, happy on the boulder, just smiling and enjoying the moment, being present. People notice when I am like that and when I am not right. But yeah, when I am, I just enjoy it so much.

O: How often do people say to you that you make it look easy?

JG: They say that every time, but it's never easy, actually. Every day you start from zero. Every day is another fight. I'm a perfectionist, so I want to be great. It’s always a new day.

I compete like I haven't achieved anything before. For me, every day is a new battle and you start from scratch, basically. It can be qualifiers, semis or finals, every round is a new story for itself. It’s never easy, because the girls are strong, they all train hard and want to beat you. So at least you have to try to be one step ahead of the others. But it's never easy.

O: It’s interesting that you said that you compete like you haven’t won anything, someone who literally has won everything...

JG: Every single time I win, it's like I won for the first time. I never take it for granted, because this is something incredible that I show up a lot of times and I actually deliver. The Olympics is a good example. I still can’t believe it. It was incredible how I managed the pressure. Every single time it's different and it's hard to show up and to deliver every single time.

O: Where do you keep all of the medals and trophies you have won in your career?

JG: I have a cabinet of all my medals and my trophies. I still have my first ever trophy I won when I was seven years old, because I think that every medal, every trophy since the young age brought me to where I am today. I definitely cannot throw away something that I got 13 years ago.

I think that when you achieve something, it gives you motivation for another trophy or medal. Sometimes you need to stop and look at what you achieved because you need to appreciate what you've been going through, what you learnt along the way and what you achieved at the end. It's definitely incredible.

Pressure is real

O: Given that you are as good as you are and that you are the one to beat, how do you manage the pressure?

JG: I definitely feel the pressure from the climbing world, from media, from everyone around me. But I try not to think about it. I try to put it aside and just climb.

I keep saying to myself that if I have fun, if I'm in the present moment, if I just go and climb, then everything will work out because I will have the right energy. This is basically how I prepare myself: I try not to think about what ifs and what will be the outcome.

I just try to enjoy being present and then we will see what the result will be. I try not to think about what could happen or what people would think, but it is definitely hard. I have moments where it's not easy, where there's a lot of pressure, but I try not to not to think about it too much.

O: How often do you struggle with doubts about yourself? You have a bunch of people behind you hungry at your feet.

JG: I also have doubts. People may think that I don't have any doubts because I'm so good, but of course I have doubts. There are moments where I just think: “Am I ready enough? Did I train hard enough?” But in the end, what matters is that you show up, that you give 100 per cent out of yourself and that's it. I always try to be like 100 per cent ready.

I have my moments of doubt. But when I come in front of the public, all these doubts disappear and if the crowd is amazing it's easy to compete, because they give you energy, my doubts disappear and then I just climb. If I can achieve that, it's a really incredible feeling.

O: How much do you train in a normal week when you are not competing?

JG: We have training periods from November to basically April, so it's quite long. Usually, I train six times a week for four to five hours. Yeah. For Olympics a bit more. [laughs]

O: How much of that time is on the wall and how much of that time is spent doing other things?

JG: I basically do 95 per cent of training on the wall, so those four to five hours are on the wall. I'm not doing any fitness, any running, anything besides that. Usually, there are specific exercises for climbing and then I do some special training with the physio, like prevention exercises from injuries that takes an hour and a half.

Climbing the highest chimney in Europe

O: The chimney that you climbed in Slovenia went viral. Where's the next place on your bucket list?

JG: I think the chimney was a really incredible project. If someone said to me 10 years ago that I would be climbing the chimney, I would have said: “You are insane.”

I actually did it and this is definitely one of the things I would put on my bucket list. But the next place I would want to climb, I don't know… The chimney was a really special project and I don't think you can get better than that.

Driven by perfection

O: So many athletes are naturally quite shy and then come to life in front of a crowd. How would you describe your personality?

JG: I'm not shy. I love interacting with the crowd. I love the energy that the crowd gives you, but sometimes it’s definitely hard because a lot of people are watching you, waiting for you, giving you the gold medal around your neck before competing. I love the crowd, I'm super enthusiastic about it.

O: What do you think makes you unique and special?

JG: This is a hard question you should ask my coach! What I think is that I'm a really hard-working person. Even though I achieved a lot of things, I still work like a haven’t achieved anything, I still train super hard. I'm a perfectionist and I want to I want to be great.

I want to achieve goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the season and it's always something that makes it a challenge. I have love for climbing and I'm really passionate about it.

O: At every competition, there's a long queue of children and adults waiting for you, to get a picture or an autograph. What does it mean to you to be able to inspire the next generation of young girls?

JG: I want to inspire the younger generation, boys and girls that if they follow their dreams, they can achieve anything they want. It definitely feels a bit weird because like five years ago I was in their place.

Mia Krampl, the Slovenian climber, was my role model. I looked up to her, I asked for autographs, for a pictures. It feels incredible that I'm at this place right now. I want to be their role model. I want to show them that they should take everything as fun, that they don’t need to suffer. But I just want to show them that anything is possible. I want to be a good example to them.

O: How strong is your love for climbing?

JG: I fell in love with climbing because it's the combination of feeling light and strong on the wall, because every move is different. In training, you don't get the same move twice, it's always something different, something new. You can’t get bored of it.

My love for climbing is really strong and even when someday my competition career will end, I will still climb outside, climb indoors, outdoors… My love for climbing will be the same. Climbing is definitely a sport for life: you can do it at any age, you can climb whatever you want, because you can find the challenge for yourself. My love for climbing will never change.

O: Who are you away from sport?

JG: That’s a tough question, because I've been surrounded by climbing since the age of seven. Climbing is basically my life, it's really hard to disconnect or to forget about this part and think about what you are without something. I'm just a normal person, the positive one full of energy enjoying the time with friends and just being a normal person.

Janja's future

O: You took a break earlier this year to step away from boulder for a little bit. Why did you choose to do that and what made you come back so quickly?

JG: I think the Olympic year and the preparations for the Olympics were super hard mentally and physically. I felt I needed a competition break. So, I did the first competition of the season and then I decided to pull out from the Bouldering World Cup circuit. It definitely was the right decision.

I'm already looking ahead to Paris and, if I want to be 100 per cent myself there, I need to think about it now and choose the right competitions to do. I don't want to get to Paris tired. This year was a perfect year to do that. I came back to the circuit refreshed with a fresher mind.

People said to me that I look different, that I look better and happy again. Before I came back, I already felt the need for a competition. I felt the nerves and I really couldn't wait to come back.

O: Do you often think about the end of your career?

JG: Not really. I think I’m still pretty young. People are already asking when I will retire, because I've achieved everything I ever wanted with the Olympics. But I always find some challenge for me, something new, something that I look forward to. I will end my career when I stop having fun. When I get to this point, then I will retire. But for now, I don't really think about it.

O: What does the future look like for you?

JG: “I definitely want to compete for as long as I feel good in competitions. Along with that, I want to climb outside and do some hard routes on rock. When I finish with my competitive career, I want to keep climbing outside.

Another wish of mine is definitely being a coach. I want to share my knowledge with the younger generation. It would be a waste not to share what I've learnt along the way. I want to teach them and help them achieve their dreams.