JAKOB SCHUBERT

When asked, “Who is Jakob Schubert?”, the answer is clear – and multifaceted at the same time.

Jakob Schubert is a climber. Ambitious, loyal, and approachable – and, incidentally, a two-time Olympic bronze medallist, six-time World Champion, seven-time overall World Cup winner, and the record holder for the most individual World Cup victories in men’s competition climbing. Without question, he is one of the most successful athletes the sport has ever seen. A hardliner by nature, he commits himself fully to the hardest routes on rock and consistently sets his goals high. Yet he is anything but grim: joy in the process and genuine enjoyment of what he does remain among the most important things in his life.

If re-climbing a competition boulder immediately after the awards ceremony – one he did not top during the final – can be described as perfectionist or pedantic, then Jakob Schubert certainly is that too. He is his own toughest critic. Identifying mistakes and working on them so that weaknesses are not punished next time has been a defining attitude throughout his entire career.

To support this, the Innsbruck native has trained consistently and methodically for years – increasingly guided by the understanding that sometimes less can be more. Not in terms of ambition, but in how he treats his body: a body that can draw on immense experience. Today, Jakob trains more consciously, efficiently, and sustainably – and he himself points to athletes such as Lindsey Vonn and Novak Djokovic as positive examples of how experience and longevity at the very highest level can go hand in hand.

For someone like Jakob, setting big goals – and communicating them openly – is essential. After two Olympic Games and two bronze medals – as the only male climber to successfully repeat his Olympic medal from Tokyo in Paris – he publicly announced his next major goal on 31 December 2025, his 35th birthday: qualifying for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028.

The year 2026 marks a special milestone: Jakob’s 20th season on the Climbing World Cup circuit. The focus is clearly on his original discipline, lead climbing – where it all began, and where experience, efficiency, and mental strength make the decisive difference.

On rock, too, Jakob has been setting his own benchmarks for years. He is part of an exclusive group of only three climbers worldwide who have successfully climbed at the highest grade, 9c – with the first ascent of B.I.G. in Flatanger. Since 2023, he has also been the only climber in the world to have succeeded at the highest grade in both sport climbing and bouldering.

Good food – preferably Japanese cuisine – online gaming with friends around the world, and quality time with his family and partner are among Jakob’s favourite activities away from chalk and campus boards. Since spring 2020, chess has joined that list. A perfect fit for a detail-oriented tactician, where progress comes move by move toward a solution.

Jakob, who holds a degree in business administration, has great respect for athletes such as tennis legend Roger Federer and climbing icon Adam Ondra. What fascinates him are qualities like unconditional love for the sport, absolute motivation, and the constant drive to improve – as an athlete and as a person.

Much the same can be said of “Joggl”, as he is often called in the gym. After two decades at the pinnacle of international climbing, countless competitions, and ascents of the world’s hardest routes, one thing has remained unchanged: the hunger for progress – and the joy of climbing.

Words by Katrin Strobl