Can she handle the
hard road?    
Siddhi

As a holder of 25 national trophies, a top five finisher at the World Youth Championships, and the first Indian woman in history to free climb an expert level 8a route, Siddhi Manerikar is officially India’s top-ranked female climber. Already a role model for young girls across India, her ambition is to tackle the world stage.

When her PE teacher asked who liked to climb trees, Siddhi was the first girl to raise her hand. Encouraged to try the new climbing wall built at her school, she soon discovered a new passion. Before she knew it she was practising for hours on end every day, and her skills were getting attention. She began training professionally with a local coach and hasn’t looked back since.

A tough training schedule sees Siddhi travel over three hours a day to-and-from central Mumbai where she spends alternate days between climbing practice and fitness exercise. With only two climbing walls in the entire city, she often finds herself travelling to the smaller neighbouring city of Pune to access the speed climbing facilities she needs.

Even with those challenges, Siddhi looks forward to competing for a chance to represent her country in the next Olympics. She hopes her success can inspire the next generation of female climbers in India.

Did you know?

Smaller Indian cities like Pune and Jaipur are emerging as centres of opportunity and catching the eye of companies, developers and investors. Step aside Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore!