Mount Maunganui’s Mila Piatek was sitting on the sideline with a gymnastics injury, watching her twin brother race up a rock wall, when she decided she could do that too, but better.

The up-and-coming rock-climbing athlete spends 10 to 15 hours a week on the rock wall and said she was addicted to the sport.

The 14-year-old aspired to compete in the Olympics one day and believed she had the determination to achieve her goal.

The Mount Maunganui College Year 10 student started the sport five years ago out of competitive spirit with her twin brother.

“I’m very competitive with him and I just joined it because I wanted to be better than him,” she laughed.

Since then, she has never stopped.

Mila Piatek is in year 10 at Mount Maunganui College. Photo / Brydie Thompson

She has competed as much as possible regionally and nationally over the past three years, and recently competed at a national event in Christchurch, where she won every race, including a face-off against an athlete from the United States.

She recently competed internationally for the first time at the Youth World Championships in Finland and now has her sights set on the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

“I think if I put my mind to it and train hard enough, use the dedication I have, it’s definitely something that’s in the future.”

She would go earlier, but she won’t be old enough.

She would have to win at the Oceania qualifiers to get to the Olympics.

Piatek competes in bouldering, lead climbing, and speed climbing, with a preference for bouldering and speed.

Bouldering was a form of climbing where athletes would ascend a short wall without the use of a rope or harness, and Piatek’s training was typically endurance-based.

Lead was where they would have to clip themselves in as they progressed up the wall. She trained by practising going up and down the wall, gaining a rhythm for clipping in as she went.

Speed climbing was where climbers aimed to reach the top of the wall as quickly as possible.

Mila Piatek competes in bouldering, speed, and lead climbing, with a preference for bouldering and speed. Photo / Brydie Thompson

Piatek said her record speed climbing time was 8.65 seconds, which she was very proud of.

Piatek trains for speed climbing by doing weighted runs.

Before each climb, she has a small ritual that she has to do before starting. This involved slapping her arms and legs to wake herself up and boost adrenaline, and chalking up her hands.

Her biggest supporters were her parents, coaches, and friends, along with Mount Maunganui speed climbing Olympian Sarah Tetzlaff, who had given her a great deal of support over the years.

“She’s been a massive part of my journey getting here. She’s been one of my first coaches on a competitive level and now I train with her.”