Introduction

Laura Rogora (ITA) Age: 20

Rome-born Laura Rogora had already made a name for herself outside of the IFSC circuit with her impressive rock ascents from a young age. She burst onto the IFSC senior World Cup circuit in 2017, making finals in her first ever World Cup in Villars and finishing 6th. Rogora's determined and slightly erratic climbing style is exciting watch, and her endurance makes her a serious contender in Lead, so long as her small stature is not a limitation on more powerful moves.

Her potential for stand-out performances was once again proved in the Vail Boulder World Cup in 2019, where she finished just outside of finals in 8th place. A few months later, she won three out of four possible gold medals at the IFSC World Youth Championships, coming first in Lead, Boulder and Combined, and placed 2nd in the IFSC European Lead Championships in Edinburgh later that year. With a touch more growth and some extra power in her climbing, Rogora could be making World Cup and Championship podiums in the near future. 

2021 update: With a World Cup win in Briançon 2020 under her belt and a 2nd place in Villars 2021, Rogora proved us correct. She's looking on form ahead of the Games. 

Qualification route

Toulouse Combined Qualifier event: 8th Place

Rogora didn't make the Combined qualification event in Hachioji, but she qualified for Toulouse given her stronger performances in the 2019 World Cup events. Upon qualifying for the final in Toulouse, Rogora had already earned her ticket to Tokyo given the presence of ineligible Japanese athletes in the final. An 8th place finish was the product of midfield performances across the board, with a 5th, 4th and 5th place in Speed, Boulder and Lead respectively. This was perhaps expected for Rogora given her young age, but she'd done enough to achieve her main objective.

Trivia

Rogora started climbing at the age of 4 and climbs with her older sister Chiara, who has also represented Italy in competitions and made international podiums at youth level. As of July 2020, Laura Rogora has redpointed thirteen routes of 8c+/9a or harder - more than any other female climber - and is one of only two women globally to have ticked 9b, which also makes her the most accomplished rock climber out of the Tokyo-qualified women. 

UKC prediction

As one of the younger athletes alongside Brooke Raboutou and YiLing Song, we think Rogora will be a bigger proposition in Paris 2024 given her weakness in Speed and lack of power at times in Boulder. A strong Lead result is possible for Rogora, since she has shown more consistency at senior level in 2021. We think she'll finish in the top 15 in Tokyo, but be a more serious contender in Paris 2024.