Introduction

Lauren Mukheibir of Johannesburg is a well-rounded athlete and was a strong contender for the African continental quota place, having become continental champion across all three disciplines in 2021.

With one IFSC World Cup participation in Boulder and an appearance at the 2022 World Games, Mukheibir has some experience of events on the big stage. 

2023 was a busy year for Mukheibir, involving a move to Perth, Australia for university studies and integrating into a new climbing and training set-up. Despite the distance from home, this change of scene seemed to work well for Mukheibir's Olympic selection preparation.

“I feel fantastic! I have trained in Australia the whole year with an incredible coach called Alan, and he’s taught me so much. In between all the training, I’ve been studying all the time, I’ve just finished my degree, and now this! I just feel phenomenal!” she told the IFSC after earning her Paris place.

Qualification route

IFSC African Qualifier Pretoria 2023 - 1st place

In what must be among the closest of battles for a Paris 2024 ticket, Mukheibir held her nerve after qualifying for the final in 2nd place behind a dominant Rauen Krohn. A superior score in the Boulder final and a close 2nd-best in Lead resulted in just a 0.2 point advantage for Mukheibir and an Olympic quota place.

Trivia

Mukheibir is a Marine Biology student at ECU Perth.

UKC prediction

Mukheibir's experience of IFSC events and her access to Australian training facilities could pay off if she can continue to combine training and study. We expect her to place between 15-20th.