Emily Phillips
Emily is a young climber representing GB on the international competition scene. She’s a Youth World Champion, the British Speed Climbing record holder and a hopeful future Olympian.
For Emily, it all started at the funfair during a family holiday to the Isle of Wight when she was only five years old. At the Isle’s annual Garlic Festival, Emily tried her hand on a mobile climbing wall and was instantly addicted.
“I’m not sure why I chose to climb as opposed to all the fairground rides,” says Emily, “but without that experience I definitely wouldn’t be climbing today”.
Shortly after this first taste of climbing, Boulders Climbing Centre opened in Emily’s home city of Cardiff, and she signed up for the kid’s club. By the time she was nine, Emily had started competing and knew, even at that early age, that she wanted to pursue climbing to the highest level.
“Climbing is such a diverse sport, which is why I think it’s so great,” says Emily. “I love how there is a type of climbing for everyone; so many paths to go down. Competition climbing is what I enjoy most at the moment, but I know I have so much to explore outdoors in the future as well.”
Emily was selected for the GB Climbing Team in 2015, and since then has gained international competition experience and some impressive podium finishes. Highlights include taking silver and then bronze at two Boulder European Youth Cups in 2017, and bronze at the 2019 Combined Youth World Championships in Arco, Italy. In 2021, Emily achieved a long-time goal at the Climbing Youth World Championships in Voronezh, Russia. By placing 18th in speed, 12th in lead and 2nd in bouldering, Emily earned the gold medal in the combined category and became the Youth World Champion. This strong performance across the three competition disciplines sets Emily up well for her goal of competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Since the age of 16, Emily has also competed on the GB Senior Team and has reached semi-finals in multiple IFSC Senior events, testing herself against the best in the world and proving that all her training and hard work is worth the effort.
“I’ve sacrificed a lot to try and be the best,” said Emily in an interview with Sports Gazette, “and I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t something I loved doing.”
Back home in the UK, Emily is a familiar face on the competition circuit. She was the 2017 Youth B British Bouldering, Lead and Speed Champion and is the British Speed Climbing Record Holder with a time of 11.90 seconds. In 2021 she competed in the British Bouldering Championships for the first time and walked away with first place, showcasing just how much potential she has as she transitions into the senior leagues.
Despite Emily’s continued focus on competition climbing, there are still some very impressive outdoor routes and boulders on her tick list, including Jerry’s Roof (7C) at the Cromlech Boulders in North Wales; Grand Opera (7C+) on the Bowderstone in Cumbria, and La Cucina (8a) at Massone in Italy.
“I’ve loved getting outdoors a bit more recently,” says Emily, who is currently living in Leeds, balancing training with completing her A-Levels. “But competing is still my main focus. The rocks will be around forever so there’s plenty of time for that after I finish school.”
