Elnaz Rekabi sheds some light on her return

Elnaz Rekabi has been competing actively since 2007, and in 2021 she took the bronze in the Combined World Championship. In the last two weeks, she has made her first World Cups appearances (Brixen and Innsbruck) since 2019. (c) Vladek Zumr

How was the Innsbruck Boulder World Cup?
I had 3 Tops and 2 close to the top but because the holds are new for me and I wasn’t sure if that hold was good or not so I just had a little doubt which got me out of semi-final. I became #23. The facilities for training are very important for competitors, the Olympics have made this sport more professional and results are very sensitive and dependent on many different variables that affect our performance.

I felt stronger than before on the wall but I need more competition to find my best mindset and shape again for getting better results. It's too bad that it was the last bouldering World Cup of the season and I don’t have more chances. But it's part of my lifestyle, my way and I’m hopeful for getting more valuable things along the rest of my climbing life.

What are your upcoming competition plans?
I will do the Lead World Cup in Villars and then go back home. Then there is the World Championship, but it's not clear whether I will get a visa or not, because we have a difficult process for getting a visa.

Do you get financial support for travel and stay in Europe?
No, I paid [this trip] myself. Part of that is my savings from the competitions which I won before and part of that is from my working as a coach. I train from 10am to 2pm and then the rest of the day I work as a coach until 10 pm. But, the NOC (National Olympic Committee in Iran) promised to support me after coming back to Iran. All I want is to train and keep my Olympic dream alive.