JAPAN’S NONAKA MIHO IN RUNNING FOR THE WORLD GAMES ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 2022

Sport Climbing’s Nonaka Miho has been shortlisted for The World Games Athlete of the Year 2022 following her Boulder success in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, in July.

The Japanese climber is one of 24 nominated athletes in the running for the annual International World Games Association (IWGA) award, which will be voted for by the public and confirmed on 31 January.

Voting will begin on 10 January, with a shortlist of 10 candidates advancing to the final phase on 22 January.

More information on all the nominated athletes can be found on The World Games website.

Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Nonaka Miho made the podium three times during the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2022, with a silver and bronze in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, and a bronze in Innsbruck, Austria.

Nonaka is widely considered one of the most successful female athletes in the Boulder discipline, having won 23 World Cup medals between 2014 and 2022, and is a former national champion in Boulder, Speed, and Combined.

Two climbers have previously won the IWGA yearly award: Adam Ondra of the Czech Republic picked up the honour in 2014, and Reza Alipour Shenazandifar won of Iran in 2017.

Nonaka Miho of Japan competes in the women's Boulder final at The World Games Birmingham 2022
Photo: Daniel Gajda/IFSC