But nothing could have prepared the 23-year-old for those she faced while representing Australia in one of the world's most prestigious climbing competitions.

And yet she still equalled second in one of her climbs and just missed out on the top 30 world ranking for boulderers at the 2016 International Federation of Sport Climbing World Championships in Japan and China.

"Boulderers are sprinters when it comes to climbing as opposed to marathon running," Ms Horan said.

"So it's without ropes, and I climb about 5 metres high in 30 seconds but all of the moves are very strenuous and it takes a lot more muscle to climb without ropes."

She said complicated climbs were as mentally exhausting as they were physically demanding.

"It's not about beng the fastest or the strongest," Ms Horan said.

"It takes a lot of brain power to figure out how something needs to be done and if you can't do it you need to find another way with other body positions. A lot of scientists climb."

Contrary to what many people may think, Ms Horan (who stands at six feet) said being much taller than most of the other competitors was a challenge, as the climbs were designed for smaller people.

However, she made up for it with muscle and extra training.

Between climbing, coaching and studying full-time, Ms Horan barely has a moment to spare.

But she was too excited to be productive when she learned the Tokyo organising committee recommended climbing be included in the 2020 Olympic Games.

Competing in those games is her ultimate goal, so she's aiming to make the top 20 in next year's IFSC championships.

And she sees Canberra as the best place to train.

"Per head of population, Canberra has a really strong climbing community," Ms Horan said.

"We just had the NSW/ACT state title in Sydney, and we took out five of the 10 podiums, which is really good for a small city."

She's so confident in Canberra's climbing talent that she thinks she could have some local competition if she ever makes it to the Olympics. One of her students in the junior ACT climbing team is also in the Junior Australian team.

"Who knows?" she said jokingly.

"We could be competing against each other someday."