Lučka Rakovec - Competing Post-Thyroid Cancer

Lučka is a lead climber from Slovenia who recently won bronze at the European championships and came back to the world climbing scene after undergoing cancer-removing surgery in 2025. In this episode, we’ll hear about how her cancer diagnosis affected her climbing, training, and mental health, we’ll learn about the Slovenian team, and we’ll put together a tier list for the worst things that can happen in a lead comp.Guest links:Lucka's InstagramReference links:Thank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.comFollow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastJoin the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zpJoin Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastTimestamps of discussion topics0:00 - Intro1:29 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!2:24 - Finger injury before European champs5:54 - Getting into climbing and competing11:11 - Reading and memorizing the lead route15:38 - Ranking the worst things to happen during a lead route20:02 - Training plan22:11 - Thyroid cancer diagnosis + emetaphobia31:20 - How long it took to return to climbing35:50 - The mental effect of returning to competition38:56 - Does the Slovenian team train with Janja?42:53 - Dating within the team45:50 - 2028 Olympic hopes?47:58 - Post-climbing plans?53:12 - Future dog plans56:53 - AUDIENCE Q: Are you afraid of falling?1:00:15 - AUDIENCE Q: Previous Slovenian legends?1:01:36 - AUDIENCE Q: How many routes and what difficulty in 1 session?1:05:53 - Where to find Lucka