Harrison secures gold in Aus Champs
After making headlines in 2021 after publicly coming out as queer, Bachelor of Arts student-athlete Campbell Harrison gained national exposure again last month when he took out gold in two categories in the Sport Climbing Australia National Championships in Sydney.
Campbell won the titles in the lead (climbers have one chance to ascend as high as they can in six minutes) and combined (where climbers utilise more than one discipline) categories. It’s his third lead title and is also a member of Australia’s national climbing team.
Heading into the Australian National Championships, Campbell consistently placed in the top 50 throughout the 2022 World Cup, held in France, Germany, and Austria earlier this year. Having broken into the top 40 in two separate disciplines during the 2022 event and three in the 2021 competition.
With the Paris 2024 Olympics entering the horizon and having amassed some vital momentum, Campbell’s chance of top-26 finishes across all his lead and bouldering events in 2023 is looking very strong. A placing at this level would guarantee national qualification and position him in the perfect spotlight for Olympic selection.
“I definitely have big dreams to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics” Campbell reflected on starting his athletic career with the goal of seeing his name amongst the top athletes within his sport.
In 2021 Campbell’s breakthrough article in which he detailed his experiences with his sexuality, both within the context of being an elite athlete and a young person received widespread acclaim both within the sport and with the general public. While explaining that he seldom tried to mask his sexuality, there was little indication of Campbell’s queerness in his public life. As such, the climber was surprised when the queer climbing association Climbing QTs reached out to him impersonally, asking if he would be interested in a panel discussion at one of their upcoming events.
“With all the things that I had accomplished, I had a powerful opportunity to be that person for others—the one who would wear their queerness with pride and honour alongside their accomplishments, not in spite of them. Nervously, but with little hesitation, I made the decision to take up this opportunity”. Campbell discussed the warm reception he experienced from his Australian teammates and shared his gratitude for the close-knit climbing community that supported him through the article’s publishing.
While international competition and exposure to a diverse array of cultures provoked some hesitation about openly displaying his queerness, Campbell’s experience after coming out has been overwhelmingly positive. From the increased visibility of the LGBTQ+ community and allies, he noticed throughout the sport since, to his own affirmation of the identity he had longed tried to suppress, Campbell’s singular decision to take part in that panel has had a formative and wide-reaching influence on his athletic and personal life.
As a member of the Melbourne University Sport Elite Athlete Program (EAP), Campbell was a beneficiary of the program’s international travel grants and flexible study accommodations, two offerings he felt had been vital for his recent successes. He appreciated the sense of community and support he had gained through the EAP, with the opportunity to converse and connect with other student-athletes, discussing the plights and triumphs of high-level sport and university study, proving a valuable network to engage with on campus.
Looking forward, Campbell has his eyes on next year’s Oceania Continental Championships to be held in November. A strong showing will all but guarantee Olympic selection for Campbell, with climbing’s feature in Paris 2024 only the second of its kind.
