Annie Sanders

Having grown up in a climbing family, Annie began climbing both outdoors and indoors when she was just one year old.  At the age of seven she began competing in the USA Climbing youth competition circuit, and by fifteen, she shattered all youth records by amassing seven Youth National Championships, four Youth World Championships, and climbing outdoor grades as high as 8c+

Following her Youth World Championship in 2022, Annie learned that she was age-qualified to compete in the Elite Open Series.  After much consideration, she decided to give the Elite circuit a try. What transpired was totally unexpected!  In her inaugural elite season, Annie exploded onto the adult scene by winning Gold in both Bouldering and Lead at the 2022 Open National Championships.  She followed this up four months later by winning Gold in the Bouldering, Lead, and Combined events at the 2023 USA Climbing Team Trials, and earned a spot on the USA Climbing Team.  As a result of these accomplishments, Annie became the first and youngest climber in US history to win Gold in all categories of Lead, Bouldering, and Combined at Nationals and Team trials in her inaugural year.

Her first season on the IFSC World Cup circuit was just as amazing, where Annie finished the bouldering season in eighth place, qualified and competed in finals of the World Championships, and qualified to compete in the 2024 Olympic qualification series.

With all her early accomplishments, Annie admits that the things she values the most are family, friends, teammates and being a part of the international climbing community.