Ep 35: Anna Apel - PRESSURE and Expectations as a Young Climber

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Anna is a boulder & lead climber from team Germany and one of the younger athletes I’ve interviewed so far as she still competed in youth world champs last year. In this episode, we’ll talk about the differences between the youth and senior circuit, the pressure of expectations after FLASHING all qualis boulders in Innsbruck, and we get some insight into team Germany.

Guest links:
Anna’s Instagram (instagram.com/annaapel05)

Reference links:

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Timestamps of discussion topics
0:00 - Intro
1:24 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!
3:50 - Starting climbing at 3!
8:18 - Competing in youth and Senior Circuit at the same time
12:27 - Youth setting vs senior setting
14:42 - Big performance boost in 2024
17:23 - Flashing all Innsbruck quails boulders
22:22 - Why younger climbers dominate the WC circuit
25:09 - German national team
30:04 - German military sponsorship
34:04 - 2025 season
36:19 - Finding out if the combined format will be in LA 2028
39:05 - Non-climbing hobbies + sewing!
42:23 - Outdoor projects
43:28 - IG Q: What is the hardest part of being an athlete?
49:06 - IG Q: Tips on improving arm strength
50:27 - IG Q: Where can I buy the Germany down jacket?
51:12 - IG Q: Non-climbing related goal
52:58 - IG Q: Thoughts on the minimum BMI requirement
57:29 - Outro and where to find Anna