Angelina ‘Angie’ Margarita Scarth-Johnson is a rock climber and a recipient of a Tier 2 Scholarship within the 2021 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program.
Angie was born in Canberra in 2004, and was taken to a climbing gym at age 7 after sustaining injuries from climbing on anything around the house. Soon her family relocated to the Blue Mountains near Sydney so that Angie could train on the cliffs of Blackheath and Mount Victoria.
Angie is known for breaking records at a young age. She conquered a grade 27 at age 8, and just a year later she broke a world record when she reached the summit of a grade 31, once in the USA and again in Spain. She then became the second Australia female to climb a grade 34, and the only one to do so multiple times – and she was still only 12.
Climbing has taken Angie all over the world, and she has established climbs in destinations such as Tonga, where her father’s family lives. She is currently the number 1 ranked junior climber in the world.
As a professional rock climber, Angie now divides her time between Australia and her mother’s homeland of Spain, and has taken on the new challenge of indoor competitive climbing in order to qualify for the Olympic Games. She is hoping to represent Australia in Bouldering, Speed and Lead when Sport Climbing makes its Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Angie is aiming to balance indoor climbing with her passion for outdoor adventure climbing, and is interested in working with animals in the future. For this reason, she has started studying for a Certificate III Veterinarian Assistant while completing year 10 by correspondence.
“I have been very fortune to have received a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship. It is a true honour to be included with so many amazing athletes from all different disciplines. The support that the Scholarship will give me is essential to my success as a young athlete and to my overall goals in becoming a World champion.” – Angie Scarth-Johnson on being selected as a 2021 Tier 2 Scholarship Holder.
Awards, Honours & Achievements
- 2013: World Record – Youngest person (age 9) to climb difficulty level 31
- 2017: Second Australian Women to climb difficulty level 34 (age 12) and only Australian women to do it multiple times
- 2018: Outdoor Climbing Development, Eua Tonga – age 14
- 2019: Youth World Championships, Arco Italy – Finalist (ranked 4th in Bouldering)
- 2020, December: Olympic Qualification – Ranked 2nd
- Only one female spot available
- 2021: Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship Holder – Tier 2
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Bio picture credit: Andres Photography
