Who is...
Toby Roberts joined an after-school climbing club when he was eight years old, encouraged by his “wacky science teacher”. Two years later he became the youngest person to climb Raindogs, a historic route in the natural amphitheatre of Malham Cove. At 12, Roberts made a six-year plan to make the Olympics, with his dad building a climbing wall in their garden. Now 19, he’s the first British male climber to qualify for the Games. He’s been training in London on an exact replica of The Titan, the wall used in Paris, and has a real chance of a medal. It was only after winning gold at the Boulder World Cup in 2023 that he had his first pint of beer. He said it was “pretty disappointing”. Climbing, on the other hand, is “just very addictive”.
