(haipo) At just 11 years old, Lilian (Lili) Bar Lev from Haifa is already at the top of the climbing scene in Israel. Behind the medals and trophies lies an inspiring story about a girl who didn't give up, overcame fears, learned to believe in herself, and became the Israeli champion.
Lili Bar Lev, 11 years old from Haifa, was born in the United States to her parents Ilana and Yevgeny. When she was two and a half years old, the family decided to return to Israel as returning residents and set up a home here. Lili, who speaks three languages, is an energetic, curious girl who loves challenges. From a young age, she experimented with a variety of sports, including swimming, dancing and Krav Maga, and in all of them she demonstrated impressive abilities. But she found her true place by chance at a climbing camp she attended at the age of six.
Her first encounter with the climbing wall ignited a great love for the sport in her, and from that moment it was clear to her parents and coaches that she had an extraordinary talent.
"She just fell in love with this sport," her parents say. "After the camp, we enrolled her in the club, and in the first year the coaches realized that she was an extraordinary girl. She excelled in the end-of-year competition, and then she joined the I CLIMB team, where she trained for four years."
Conquering peak after peak
Last year, Lily moved to the Performance team, where she continued to develop and progress at an impressive pace. The hard work paid off in 2024, when she won the Israeli Top Rope Climbing Championship for the first time, and she hasn't left the podium since.
This year, she continued to record particularly impressive achievements: first place in the Israeli Championship in Lead Climbing, held last June in Modi'in, and second place in the Israeli Championship in Boulder, held in early July at the "Monkeys" club in Ashdod.
There are several competitive styles in climbing. In climbing Top rope – The climber is connected to the rope anchored at the top of the wall, so that the rope serves as complete security. At a more advanced stage, they move on to climbing. transport – in which the climber connects the rope himself while climbing. Another branch is Boulder – Climbing low walls without a rope, with protection provided by dedicated mattresses.
Overcome fear
Behind the achievements lies a personal story of coping. Lily struggles with attention deficit disorder, but climbing has become a tool for her that allows her to focus, set goals, and overcome challenges. Beyond the physical training, she went through a significant process of dealing with a fear of heights and a fear of falling, two obstacles that every climber is familiar with.
With the help of close mental work, guidance from coaches, and constant support from her family, she was able to overcome her fears and strengthen her self-confidence. "Lily learned not to be afraid of difficulty," her parents say. "She understood that falling is part of the journey, and that you can always get up, try again, and succeed."
Despite her young age, her schedule is exceptionally busy. Three one-and-a-half-hour team practices each week are just a small part of the routine. In practice, the family spends between three and four hours at each practice, and in addition, Lily does strength training, travels on weekends to try out different climbing walls around the country, and even climbs in nature.
A family climbing together towards the dream
Her parents do not hide their pride. According to them, Lily's success is the result of perseverance, determination, and above all, a huge family investment.
Ilana, Lily's mother, would like to emphasize that a large part of her daughter's success is due to her father, Yevgeny, who accompanies her with extraordinary dedication. According to her, he is by her side in every training and competition, investing many hours to expose her to different climbing walls around the country, encouraging her to experiment with diverse styles and providing her with uncompromising support. "He gives his all so that Lily can fulfill her dream and continue to develop in the sport that she loves so much," she says.
A growing industry and still too few girls
Although Haifa is considered a city with a developed climbing community, the family says the sport still faces challenges. According to them, one of the city's climbing clubs closed several months ago and the athletes receive almost no public support, even though it is an Olympic sport that is gaining momentum in Israel.
Even among girls, the sport is still in its infancy. At the Israeli championship in Boulder, only 24 girls participated compared to 85 boys, a figure that illustrates the extent to which this is a sport that is still largely dominated by boys. However, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of girls choosing climbing as a competitive sport.
Leo Buck – The next stop on Lily’s journey
In the coming year, Lily will open another new chapter in her life, when she will advance to seventh grade and join the unique sports class at the Leo Buck School, a prestigious and sought-after track to which she was accepted thanks to her impressive achievements.
At an age when most children are just starting to dream, Lili Bar Lev is already making dreams come true. With determination, perseverance, family support and a lot of love for the sport, it seems that the young Israeli champion from Haifa is only at the beginning of her journey and the next peaks are already waiting for her.