Luka Potočar World Cup winner interview

Luka Potočar (20) won the Lead World Cup in 2022, which came as a surprise to some. However, upon further inspection, his road to victory has been surprisingly steady. As a junior, he won four Euro Cups/Championships beginning in 2016, and in 2018, he took silver at the Youth World Championship. In 2020, he was #4 in the only WC, and last year, the 20-year-old was #4 overall and also placed second at the World Championship.

Could you tell us a little bit about your climbing background?
I started climbing when I was 5 years old. I was training in my hometown for 9 years. My first year on the national youth team was in 2016 when I won my first Lead European Cup in Imst and my first lead World Cup was in Kranj 2017.

What do you think made your 2022 season so successful?
2022 was really a season to remember. It was not easy after a good last season to get another season like that or even better. I used experiences I got from competing on the highest level and I think this was very important this season. Also thanks to my coach, I was in great shape the whole season.

How does it feel to have won the World Cup overall?
With so many strong guys around me, it really feels amazing and I can’t wait for next year to defend this title.

Who is your coach and could you describe how you train?
My personal coach is Domen Švab, and he is also on our national team. Training is planned and based on competitions, so the first part of the season is focused on boulders and the second on lead with some bouldering, but details are changing from season to season because the calendar of competitions is never the same. Normally we train five times a week for three to four hours on a spray wall in Radovljica.

How often do you climb outdoors and what are some of your personal bests?
I can't be proud of my rock climbing, to be honest, every year I go to rock maybe 3 to 4 times. I feel like after the season I need time to rest without any climbing and when I have competitions I don't feel like climbing outside and working on some projects. I have done a few 8c and that's it.

What would it mean for you to qualify for Paris 2024?
Olympic games are for sure something special for every athlete and yes, also for me. It is going to be hard to qualify for Paris but yes this is my biggest goal for the future and I am looking forward to giving my everything to get a chance to compete in such a huge event.