Sport climber Brooke Raboutou has used the years between Tokyo and Paris to grow her knowledge and strength.

The climbing prodigy proves she’s better than before by ranking amongst the best in the world in the bouldering and lead events. As she climbs past the competition at Le Bourget, her passion and natural talent could land her on the Olympic podium.

“For other people watching, I hope they can find how much pure joy and passion I have in climbing and being able to show that on the wall. And try my hardest through disappointment, through failures, through success, all that. Just continuing to love what I do and show who I am,” Raboutou told NBC Olympics.

Here’s what to know about Raboutou ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Brooke Raboutou is 23 years old. She was born on April 9, 2001. 

Brooke Raboutou was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado.

Climbing is ingrained in the Raboutou family legacy. Her parents were both World Cup champion climbers and own a climbing gym in Boulder that has trained several Team USA climbers. Her brother, Shawn, is a successful professional outdoor boulderer. The family shares their love for the sport on social media, occasionally posting their climbs together.

“We recently did a trip as a family and just hiked up to the woods, and my brother and I sent this really hard climb. My whole family was there. It was really special,” she told NBC Olympics. 

Brooke Raboutou’s father, Didier, is from Toulouse, France (a city the Olympic Torch Relay passed through on its way to Paris) and taught her French. While growing up, she and her family would spend their summers in France. Raboutou said she loves Paris after a long visit there in 2022 and looks forward to returning. 

“It would be very exciting for them all to be there and for it to be in France. It drives me a lot but for me, I try the most in life just to focus on the present moment,” Raboutou told NBC Sports in 2023. 

Brooke Raboutou made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, placing fifth in the women’s combined event of speed, bouldering and lead. At the Paris Games, speed will be a separate event from bouldering and lead. Raboutou is currently ranked third in the world for combined lead and bouldering and won bronze in bouldering at the 2023 World Championships. 

Brooke Raboutou has been climbing since she was a toddler with encouragement from her parents. Her father built small rock walls in their basement and the family would go on climbing trips. She entered her first competition at age 7 and was climbing professional-level ascents by age 11.  

I loved growing up in Boulder. It's a really tight knit community and I mean, an amazing place to grow up as a climber and a kid surrounded by great role models and just infinite rock around me. Great gyms and a really great community.

Everyone all over the world is good friends. All my competitors, I would say, are my friends from different countries, which is pretty special. And we'll go on trips together to outdoor climb as well. So yeah, everyone's really supportive.

Sometimes it's pretty straightforward and you know what to do and it's just about execution. But a lot of times you have to put your own creative spin on it to figure out the best path for you. And that might look different for everyone else.

I love being outdoors. Just in nature, breathing in crisp air and beautiful views. I feel like it replenishes my soul and gives me back any energy that I'm spending in the world.

It's very busy, but you can find your own corner kind of anywhere. So, I really enjoyed living there for a little bit longer amount of time and just finding my own place within the city, like favorite bakeries and art corners. There's just so much to do.