Kiwi climbing record holder thinks Olympic medals are possible

New Zealander Mayan Smith-Gobat has scaled some of the world's biggest and most challenging rock faces and in 2014 set the all-female record for the fastest ascent of El Capitan's The Nose in Yosemite National Park.

Climbing became an Olympic sport at the Tokyo Games and Smith-Gobat believes New Zealand climbers have what it takes to win medals.

"Physically they're absolutely capable of it," she told 1News in Wellington, but she added there are limitations with the sport being such a fringe pursuit here.

"I think a Kiwi training purely in New Zealand... it would be near impossible [to win a medal] just because the level of competition worldwide is much higher than here."

These days the climbing record holder spends most of her time in Germany, where the sport is much more popular and better supported.

She says New Zealand facilities and trainers just don't compare to those on offer in Europe and America.

Smith-Gobat was one of the world's leading female adventure climbers, at one stage sponsored by athletic giant Adidas, something that made it easier to focus on the sport whereas in New Zealand athletes are often juggling paid work and training.

Nowadays she's back climbing for fun after taking an extended break a few years ago.

"For a while there I got quite lost.. just needed to succeed and push myself more and more and I believe that is very common these days."

She realised she was climbing for recognition, rather than personal reward.

"Almost like an addiction to those feelings, I was a shy girl at school lacking that inner confidence and I got that through climbing. I also got love in some sense of the word... it overtook the passion," she said.

But that passion's now back and she wants to encourage others to take up the sport, one that's suited to our psyche.

"I think Kiwis in general - they're often not mainstream and that fits well to a climber being a little bit willing to step off the beaten track and even though climbing is getting much more mainstream, it's still a fringe sport."

A fringe sport with an Olympic medal incentive - even more reason for Kiwis to start the climb.