(LEX 18) — Two Kentuckians are in Europe this evening, preparing for a huge competition. Kentucky is world-renowned for its climbing. In Switzerland, one of them could bring home the gold.
In the heart of Lexington, you'll find some darn good athletes. LEF Climbing coach Jacob Karrer sees it all the time.
"Kentucky's got some good climbers. We've got some world-class climbing just about an hour away from this gym here, so definitely, there's going to be a lot of good climbers around here," Karrer said.
More than 4,000 miles from the heart of Lexington, two of them are competing on the world stage.
"Salt Lake City, Innsbruck, Austria, and then Villars, Switzerland," said Alex Dornbusch, recalling the cities where he has recently competed.
Dornbusch is competing at the International Federation of Sport Climbing World Championships in Bern, Switzerland, this week. The best paraclimbers in the world are there. Team USA includes two Kentuckians - Dornbusch and Sunny Yang.
"I'm concentrated to do my best and want to show my kids because I think the kids learn from doing, not just speaking," Yang told a film crew in the documentary, "Crux", produced by Addison LeBoutillier and Zane Meyer-Thornton (https://vimeo.com/759141815).
"I absolutely love it. I'm constantly cheering and chanting for Sunny, like 'Let's go Kentucky!', so everybody that sees me internationally now that participates in these events is like, 'Oh hey, it's Kentucky! What's up? How are you?'," Dornbusch said.
They have each faced challenges. Yang was hit by a car while running. Dornbusch had an accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. What better illustrates their resilience than this sport?
"Humans pushing themselves to their limit and trying to overcome an obstacle in their way. I think that's what climbing really is. It's all about trying to get over that mountain and get to the other side," Dornbusch said.
The two will be part of the competition Thursday morning at 7:00 A.M. Lexington time for the IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships. Dornbusch said he is also advocating for paraclimbers to have the same sponsorship opportunities as other pro climbers. He is also pushing for paraclimbing to be included in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
"Para-athletes need to be compensated by some of these corporations a lot more because we're wearing these mega-corporations logos on our shirts and our equipment bags, just like all the Olympic hopefuls and professional athletes do, but we don't get compensated at all, so that's what I want to try to grow," he said. "I want to try to be an advocate for a lot of the Paralympians and the para-athletes who may not be able to have a voice for themselves,"
The two Kentuckians are showing a lot of heart and setting quite an example for everyone back home.
"It's very inspiring, just to know that people I talk to on a day-to-day basis here in this gym are out there competing at that level at the World Cup," said Karrer.
"Through determination and perseverance, humans can really overcome anything, and climbing shows that every day," Dornbusch said.
A live stream of the competition will begin at 7:00 A.M. on the IFSC YouTube channel. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwQbZNGSUZA)
