Brooke Rabautou: “I'm fighting with pure passion”
Rabautu is the daughter of Didier Laboutoux and Robin Arbesfield-Rabautouthe famous climbers who started ABC Kids Climbing, a unique youth climbing program, and Laboutoux grew up climbing in Boulder.
“The energy at ABC has been chaotic and great since day one, so that hasn't changed much,” laughed Lovetu when asked about his beginnings in the sport. “Not only did we compete against each other, but we encouraged each other to work hard…and we had a lot of fun.”
“That whole philosophy has stayed with me throughout my career,” she added. “I compete out of pure passion, and that passion continues to grow as I want to learn more about the sport and my abilities and improve myself.”
Since the 2021 Tokyo Games, Lovetu has continued to excel on the international circuit, winning a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships and also winning bronze medals in this event in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
As Paris approaches, Labutou hopes to summon that same childlike energy to secure a spot there. She goes back to another word, one from her mother.
“'Do what you love and love what you do,'” she says. “My mom always said… I'm grateful that my job is going well. And that's what I want to do. And my job is what I want to do.”