[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[SHAUNA CHEERS]
ROB WARNER: Get me out *** now.
I think it's 11 World Cups I've won,
and I haven't got a clue where a single trophy is.
Oh, no! Oh, no!
ROB: Does that count?
[LAUGHS]
Go. Go. Are the cameras rolling? No? Come on, quick. Quick!
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
I've come to Sheffield to meet climbing phenomenon, Shauna Coxsey,
the most successful climber in British history
and a two-time Bouldering World Cup champion.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Shauna's extraordinary ability is matched only by her insatiable desire
to inspire the next generation.
As the torch bearer for the future of sport climbing,
she was awarded an MBE at just 23 years old.
2020 promises to be a monumental year for the queen of rock
and I can't wait to see how she's preparing.
[UPBEAT MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING]
[TRANQUIL MUSIC PLAYING]
-Hey, how's it going? ROB: How are you, Shauna?
-How are you? SHAUNA: Nice to meet you.
ROB: Nice to meet you. SHAUNA: Come in.
ROB: So this is where it all happens, is it?
-Yeah, this is a bouldering mall. ROB: This is the bouldering?
We're going to go climbing in a bit, I think.
ROB: Looks high enough to hurt yourself.
-Nah, you'll be fine. -[LAUGHS]
ROB: And what is bouldering?
So bouldering is... Here's my like generic answer...
-Bouldering is climbing... -Yes. Keep it simple.
...not too high off the ground,
above mats are many different angles and many different shapes of holes.
-No ropes? -No ropes.
It's a mental and physical challenge
because you have to figure out a climb.
Most of the time, I'll walk out
and look at the wall and know what to do,
but sometimes I look at it,
I won't have any clue what to do.
-That does happen? -Yeah.
Is it with all the combinations
you climb all the walls daily and still get stuck.
SHAUNA: There's infinite possibility
because we don't know what holes or what,
like, size grips or anything's gonna be in front of us.
ROB: How do you deal with that pressure?
Like you need to think and work out what you're doing,
but don't have time?
SHAUNA: Yeah, but is it pressure? Like, I've chosen to be there.
ROB: I would say so.
My general life philosophy is do something about it, or get over it.
Can't control the clock.
I can't do anything about the climb, just get over it.
[CROWD CHEERING]
ROB: Shauna, how did you get into climb? Where'd it start for you?
So, I started climbing at the age of four after seeing it on the TV.
-No way! SHAUNA: Yeah.
ROB: Climbing before you went to school
that does explain a lot of why you are where you are today.
Leah, she's your coach?
SHAUNA: Yes, I met her for the first time when I was seven.
So, I mean, I've known her for 20 years which is crazy to think.
We were both competing kind of throughout the national competitions
then both on the international stage.
And then, it happened organically
that we started working together as coach, athlete.
Just finding someone that tells you
when you're being rubbish climbing
-and what to do about it. ROB: Does she tell you straight?
Oh, she tells me straight. She tells everybody straight, almost.
She's very feisty when she wants to be.
ROB: You can probably take it,
she sounds like a big part of what you do really.
SHAUNA: I wouldn't be doing this without her and I tell her that.
ROB: You wouldn't be doing it without her, wouldn't you?
No way! I wouldn't be where I am without her.
Shauna, you've had enormous success,
got a lot of trophies. What'd you do with them?
I think it's 11 World Cup that I've won
and I haven't got a clue where a single trophy is. Sorry.
You don't know where they are?
They must be at my sister's or my dad's house.
11, it's not one you've lost, it's 11 World Cup winning trophies.
It's quite bad.
I don't like having them on display.
You walk into my house, you wouldn't know I'm a climber or athlete.
-Wouldn't you? -Unless you get in the basement
and there's a climbing wall...
Of course, there is. [BOTH LAUGH]
[TRANQUIL MUSIC PLAYING]
But climbing is very much your life.
-For sure, yeah. -Yeah, and you were awarded an MBE!
Yes, my boyfriend rang me
and said, "You've got a letter stamped by the Majesty."
-I said, "What?" -[LAUGHS]
-"Someone's having a laugh." -I've had a couple of them,
I like got home and opened it,
and said, "Who's playing this prank."
Now I've got to dress up and go to the Palace.
-What? To Buckingham Palace? -Yeah.
-No way! -Yeah, it's pretty mad.
-That's insane. -So I have to--
I don't know where my MBE is actually.
Oh, my God! Oh, my! [LAUGHS]
I'm gonna have to look for it.
I know you've got to get to some physio,
but I'm gonna come back tomorrow
and show you what a squid looks like on a wall.
I can't wait to see you on the wall. It's going to be good.
I think it might be.
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS]
ROB: Talking to Shauna,
it's obvious just how important the people around her are.
And closest to her is her friend and coach, Leah.
I'm going to start the day by having a coffee with her right now.
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
ROB: Leah? How are you? LEAH: Hey, Rob. Good.
-Nice to meet you. -You too.
ROB: Cold, up north, innit? LEAH: It is.
That's why I've got a woolly jumper on.
ROB: I'm jealous of that.
So, Leah, you're Shauna's coach. What sort of a person is she?
And you can tell us all the good and the bad bits.
Now see that's a broad question.
She is a really perfect mix of a really motivated person,
a really stubborn but caring person,
and I think that in terms of her and her climbing,
she's so intrinsically motivated to better herself all the time.
It's like the perfect cocktail.
If any of her competitors could steal one of her qualities
which one would it be?
I think it's probably her strength
and that's keeping cool, calm, and collected
performing when she needs to.
When they have one chance and can't mess it up.
They have to do this climb, first go, for example.
Shauna just seems to be able to just take a breath,
get on the wall and do it.
And so, it would either be to steal that calm head,
or to steal the over 20 years' experience.
Those two things you say, the experience and calm head.
I mean, they're big things in the high-pressure world of climbing
that she does?
I think that comes from,
she likes to reflect and review, and a lot.
She's really eager to learn as much as she can...
-Still? -...from it. Still. She's a fanatic.
-She's so obsessed about climbing... -Yeah.
...and her performance.
And she will glean any little bit of information to improve that.
That's one of the qualities that--
-Makes her good. -That's right.
She's all right. Yeah.
She's all right. Yeah. [LAUGHS]
How many hours does she train every day?
-She does train most days. -The odd day off to--
We keep track of how she's feeling and her energy levels,
we put a rest day in.
Whilst it's serious, if you're not having fun,
she's like, "What's the point?"
I bet all those training sessions are not fun or, are they?
She works hard, but I think that's why
we've been together so long because we can
always make even the most grim sessions fun.
We're always silly.
Other competitors watch us warm up like, "What're they doing?"
[BOTH LAUGH]
-Really? -Yeah, they honestly--
Those Froot Loops?
We do Acroyoga together and I throw her around
and do somersaults.
ROB: Really? Yeah. -It kind of just teaches us,
she's not always in control.
ROB: Yeah. -It might be me that's in control
and we swap and change.
So Shauna has invited me to go climbing with her.
Ah, okay. -What am I in for?
Is she much of a coach herself?
I'll probably need some help.
She definitely is. She'll start gentle,
but she's not gonna let you off light.
[LAUGHS]
You'll have fun. She's a good laugh.
I look forward to seeing what she does.
[CALM MUSIC PLAYING]
-I see you brought the dust for me. -I brought chalk for you.
-Chalk not dust. -Sorry.
-How much do I need... -A bit. Not that much. Jeez!
-Am I ready? -Yeah.
In climbing, generally, you follow a color
and, you got chalk all over your face.
[BOTH LAUGH]
ROB: So just the green one?
SHAUNA: Yeah, go on. Up you go. Just the green ones.
Using your feet, standing up nice and tall,
put your hand on the top, you've done it.
Not bad. There he is.
You might need harder stuff. Come on.
ROB: I want over hanging, it looks difficult.
Dude, look at the control.
-It's done. -This probably won't be as graceful.
SHAUNA: No.
Good. Come on, keep it going.
Come on, yeah, nice.
[BOTH LAUGH, ROB CHEERS]
SHAUNA: Nice. Right, more climbing.
ROB: What you gonna do now then? SHAUNA: Top blue one.
-Not from that? -Yeah.
Never.
-Holy ***! -It's a baby jump. Stretch it.
Jump.
-No, the next one. -I know.
-It was not even, and there's no... -You can do that.
-You reckon? -It's all in your booty.
-What? Whack it? -Yeah. Give it a go.
Go. Go, go, go, go, go.
-Yeah. -Better.
Yeah, it's within 3 feet.
Wow!
-Off here, up to there? -Yes. Go, go, go.
[LAUGHS]
[BREATHES HEAVILY]
Yeah, it ain't that easy. [LAUGHS]
-What do I do now? -Figure it out.
Keep going. Keep going. Yeah!
Whoo!
-Come on. -I'm too short.
Definitely, not an issue.
Oh, no! Oh, no!
ROB: Does that count?
[LAUGHS]
-Ah, what a showoff. -Let's go.
Can I have a minute?
No. This one's brand new. You're the first person who's ever climbed it.
Would this be named after me if I,
I've conquered this route.
Oh!
ROB: I'm there, ain't I? Is that controlled?
I wanna give it to you. [LAUGHS]
[ROB SIGHS]
SHAUNA: There it is. That's the Rob Warner route.
-You all right? -Yeah, I'm fine. Yeah.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[ROB GRUNTS]
How many have you done?
-You done three yet? -Eleven and done.
***.
Can I just do that? Dude. Dude. Are the cameras rolling?
MAN 1: No. -Come on, quick. Quick.
ROB: I've just done something that's just caught my neck.
There's something cracked.
-Oh, boy! -It'll be fine. Keep moving.
Shauna, thanks very much. It's been an epic kind of day.
I won't forget this for a few days.
It's opened my eyes to climbing
and what you can do. It's unbelievable to see you climb.
-Thanks very much. Yes -You got a big year. Go well.
Exciting year, thank you.
It's been amazing.
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
ROB: All right, Shauna. -Hey, how's it going?
-What are we doing here? -I'm gonna go for a swim.
-A what? SHAUNA: Yeah, a swim.
Not really?
ROB: I'm ready, Shauna.
-Oh, my goodness! What is this? -4 or 5 wetsuits.
Why you wearing that? We're wild swimming.
It's snowing. It's actually snowing.
Come on, get that off.
ROB: Do you genuinely do this a lot? SHAUNA: Yeah, once or twice a week.
ROB: I'm hyperventilating already.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[SHAUNA CHEERS]
[SHAUNA LAUGHS]
Get me out *** now.
[UPBEAT MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING]
Oh, my God! Look.
If you get in any difficulties,
I'm not coming to save you.