CANMORE – For the first time ever, sport climbers will participate in the upcoming Pan American Games, with one elite athlete from Canmore in on the action.
Becca Frangos qualified as one of the inaugural 10 Canadian sport climbers headed to the mega multi-sport event in Santiago, Chile from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5 to compete, which doubles as a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Lost in the moment, the climber who once regularly graced the walls of Elevation Place said with excitement in her voice that it felt surreal to get there.
“Since I was a kid, I had dreams of going to a multi-sport games as a member of Team Canada, but I didn’t know if that would ever happen or what capacity that would be in,” said Frangos, who has been competing for 13 years.
“When I started climbing, it was a small sport … it wasn’t an Olympic sport, it wasn’t part of the Pan-Am Games, so being able to have qualified and to compete as the first people in our sport at this event feels crazy.”
The 25-year-old lead specialist qualified for combined (lead, bouldering) based on her world ranking, which she earned through competing in world cups and the world championship.
Only 20 women, including three Canadians, will participate in the combined event at the Pan-Am Games. It starts Oct. 22 with lead and bouldering rounds. The top eight climbers with the best scores combined advance to the Oct. 24 finals.
The winner will lock in a spot at 2024 Paris. However, 15 more spots (20 total) are still up for grabs at other Olympic qualifying events until June 2024.
Christine Girard, Santiago 2023 Chef de Mission, said Canada’s climbing squad is ready to scale new heights of achievement.
“With a dynamic blend of seasoned Olympians and fresh talent, this team of climbers is poised to conquer challenges and look to ascend towards Paris Olympics qualification,” said Girard in a media release.
Frangos admits the competition looks stiff at the Pan-Am Games, but is keeping a positive mindset.
“I want to have that top spot and qualify for the Olympics, but I want to be realistic, and I would be insanely happy with a podium,” she said. “I’m going to go out there and give it my best and all I have and that’s all you can really ask of yourself.”
Now living in Vancouver, Frangos said if she was told in January that she would qualify for the Pan-Am Games, she would have thought it was a joke.
Last year was disappointing on the walls for Frangos. However, national team coach Malek Taleb said it was a necessary step to help her realize the changes that needed to be made in her training and competition approach in order to have a successful season.
"To Becca’s credit, she took this challenge head on and was able to produce some of her best results, which helped her achieve her top goal of qualifying for the Pan-Am games," said Taleb.
Frangos took time off to re-evaluate whether to continue competing. However, once back, she knew 2023 was going to be a “high-pressure” and telling season.
Consistency has always been a factor in the Canmore rock star’s performances, but Frangos scored personal bests on back-to-back weekends of this world cup season that shot her confidence way up and renewed dreams for the 2024 Paris hopeful.
“I hope to build on the momentum and continue to just have a positive mindset and continue loving what I’m doing,” said Frangos. “I wouldn’t still be doing this if I didn’t love competing and love climbing and I’m always just trying to remind myself why I love the sport and why I love doing what I do.”
The Pan-Am Games have approximately 6,800 athletes participating in 38 sports.
