You might have noticed that Molly’s been making headlines lately, scoring a well-deserved and long-fought ‘golden ticket’ to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics! Perfect timing, we thought, to grab Molly for a quick cuppa and a catch-up, and give our wonderful WCS community the chance to get to know her a little better…
Finding climbing almost by accident as a child, Molly went on to compete at national and international levels in lead and bouldering, becoming a five-time British lead climbing champion and the first British woman to win a medal in a lead World Cup. Molly cemented her spot on Team GB through the Qualifier Series in Shanghai and Budapest and will compete in the combined boulder and lead discipline at this summer’s Olympic Games.
With more than her fair share of injuries during her 20-year career (including 3 ruptured pulleys and a fractured/dislocated ankle) and navigating the lack of diversity in competition climbing, Molly’s resilience, determination and drive are inspiring. Her passion to use her platform to help shape a more diverse and inclusive climbing scene is a force to be reckoned with, and we’re psyched to have her on the team!
Welcome to the team, Molly! To kick off, could you tell us a little bit about how and why you wanted to be involved in the Women's Climbing Symposium?
Well, growing up and feeling kind of different within the climbing community, I was motivated to do something to make it a more inclusive space. Community is important to me, so it was always on my radar that once I had more time – after finishing competing or at some point later down the line in my climbing career – to be involved in something that promoted inclusion and community. When the opportunity came up to be involved in the Women's Climbing Symposium, I thought: oh, this is absolutely fantastic. To be part of an initiative that was creating an inclusive, welcoming, safe space for women within climbing just ticked all of my boxes.
Joining such a capable team that is already running great events, I felt like I could learn a lot, as well as offering a slightly different perspective.
The aims of WCS are to connect, develop and inspire. Which of those elements speaks to you most personally, and why?
I think inspire, because as a competitive climber, you're always looking up to role models and people around you, trying to improve yourself. Inspiration has always been a huge part of what I do and the goals I have within my climbing as well. When I was growing up, I looked outside of climbing for my role models, and as I've progressed through my climbing career, I realised that increasing the number of role models that appeal to all sorts of different people – that they can relate to – is really important.
What is it about women's climbing that you are most passionate about?
I think one of the most amazing things about climbing is the fact that the performance gap between men and women isn't that big. I want every woman to know that they have an equal right to focus on their training, to push themselves, to dream big and aspire to climb as hard as they want – even just to take up space and start climbing in the first place. I want women to feel empowered to break down the stereotype that climbing is just for young, white, male dirtbags, and just broaden that picture of what a climber is.
Climbing could be such an inclusive sport, anyone can do it; any age, ability, gender. All of the barriers that exist have been constructed, and we can work towards breaking down those barriers and making it the inclusive place that it could be.
How do you think the women's climbing community and the wider climbing community has changed since you began your own climbing journey, and what changes would you still like to see?
I feel like the idea that being feminine and being strong aren’t compatible things has changed a lot since I started climbing. More and more women are embracing what makes them a woman and the fact that they can be strong and bold, but also be honest and that they can have times where they are scared, and it doesn't make them any less of either thing. It's been cool to see that change in our community.
There are behaviours in a general commercial climbing setting that we could get rid of too; unwanted beta-spraying or explaining, or the amount of times I've tried something and failed, and then a guy has come up and tried it because he saw me fall on it, like: I'm gonna beat a comp climber, or, this girl's just fallen off something, I bet I can do it! Things like that, that frustrate women and can really make us not want to be in that space – we could definitely do with getting rid of that!
I did a talk at one of the early Women's Climbing Symposiums, and seeing how much the event has grown in the years since then just demonstrates the need for it. I like how strong a community it is in the UK, and it'll be cool to see it continue growing.
You've got a really vast experience of climbing, from early days to the Olympics! What do you hope to bring to the team, the events and the community as a WCS director?
I started out as a kid doing competitions and I progressed through national programmes, to international events and now to the Olympics. But at the same time, I also grew up in London in a very urban family – my parents have each climbed once I think, but otherwise they’re a bit scared of heights and don't really like being outdoors. I've got a pretty unlikely background that's not really that compatible with climbing, and I could have easily never tried it that one time, and then I wouldn’t be here.
I hope I can bring a few different perspectives and some understanding of what those transitions can be like; from youth to adult through the national and international competition circuit, or from being in a city like London to moving to Sheffield and finding out what it's like to be in the outdoors. Also, an understanding of some of the barriers to climbing that people might not realise exist unless they've experienced them.
What's your most memorable climbing experience to date?
I think it was when I did my first competition after rupturing three pulleys in one finger back in 2018. That was my first major injury, and I guess it was the first time my relationship with climbing had really been tested. I remember climbing in semi-finals at World Champs and experiencing the unity that climbing can create in a community because everyone there, regardless of where they were from, was cheering so hard for me because they knew how hard I worked to get back to that stage. They just wanted me to enjoy that moment.
It was pretty special to feel that much overwhelming support from everyone, and pride in myself, because that was the end of the comeback and just showed how resilient I was.
And lastly, because we can't not ask, how are you feeling about the Olympics and how much of a buzz was it getting that ticket to Paris?
Honestly, I still can't put into words the feelings that I had. As much as this was a long weekend of climbing and three whole years from Tokyo to Paris, this journey began a long, long time before that. Ever since I was a little girl, I was watching the Olympics – I was that kid who'd be sat in front of the TV all day, screaming for Team GB. So it felt like more of a 20 year journey!
There were so many emotions; relief, excitement, pride, disbelief! And just feeling so grateful for the people around me, because without them there's no way I would have come back through two big injuries and had the confidence and belief in myself to make it to that stage. I was mainly just over the moon because everyone understands what the Olympics means and how hard it is to get there. I’m also really excited because it gives me a platform to hopefully make the improvements I want to see in terms of inclusion and diversity within climbing.
Keep up with Molly on Instagram or TikTok (where we've been promised some epic content featuring fellow Olympian Erin McNeice)!
Olympic Climbing will take place from the 5th-10th August. Find out the best ways to watch here.
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