Oceania MacKenzie
climber
Oceania “Oce” MacKenzie is Australia’s top ranked sport climber across bouldering, lead and speed, and one of the most successful climbers ever to represent the country.
- Double Olympian
- Multiple World Cup podiums
- 2 x Continental Championships
- Record‑breaking Australian results in bouldering and lead
Oceania started climbing at just eight years old and entered the IFSC World Cup circuit at fifteen. Since then she has rewritten Australian climbing history, becoming a two‑time Olympian, a World Cup winner, and a consistent finalist on the global stage.
She is also proudly vegan, a lifestyle she has spoken about in interviews and on her official athlete channels.
“it is a really good diet for climbing as well, because we have to have muscle and power but also be lean”
Oceania admits she was following her sister when she first did this at “I’d just copy everything my older sister did.” Now she’s committed to continuing due to the environmental and health reasons.
“As an athlete who travels so much, my carbon footprint is on my mind,” she says. “I think it is a really good diet for climbing as well, because we have to have muscle and power but also be lean – it’s a good balance.”
As a child she encountered scepticism.
“When I was younger and I’d say, ‘I’m vegan,’ my competitors’ parents would always comment, ‘Oh, you must not be very strong,’” she recalls. “Which was always really confusing to me because I would be at the competitions – winning them. Well, obviously I do OK.”
Major Achievements
MacKenzie’s competitive record is exceptional for any climber — and unprecedented for an Australian.
- Olympic Games – Paris 2024 Finalist in the combined boulder & lead event, finishing 7th, the best Olympic result ever achieved by an Australian climber.
- Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 (held 2021) Australia’s first female Olympic sport climber, finishing 19th in qualification.
- World Cup & World Climbing Series Multiple podiums and finals, including:
- 1st – Bern Bouldering World Cup (2026)
- 3rd – Innsbruck Bouldering World Cup (2026)
- 3rd – Keqiao Bouldering World Cup (2026)
- Consistent top‑10 finishes across bouldering and lead throughout 2023–2026.
- Oceania Championships Winner of the combined event in both 2020 and 2023, securing Olympic qualification each time.
- Record‑breaking Australian results – Oceania holds the best overall Australian results in bouldering and lead for 2023, 2024 and 2025, and was the first Australian to win a Bouldering World Climbing Series event
By 2026, she had reached every final in both bouldering and lead that season.
Her competition record shows a climber who is not only technically brilliant but also remarkably consistent — a rare trait in elite bouldering.
Vegan Lifestyle
Oceania follows a vegan lifestyle and openly identifies as a vegan athlete. Her official biography lists her as a “vegan athlete,” and she has spoken about enjoying baking, reading and spending time with family — all while maintaining a fully plant‑based diet.
Her success adds to the growing evidence that climbers can thrive at the highest level on a vegan diet, maintaining strength, power, recovery and endurance across all three climbing disciplines.
Oceania enjoys baking and vegan, gluten‑free muffins are part of her diet. She also adds nutritional yeast “on everything”, which keeps her B12 levels high. It regularly gets sprinkled on avocado on toast, pasta and buddha bowls. Rice noodles with veggie stock are also popular, and is a great options when travelling in remote parts of Asia – she can cook it in her hotel kettle.
Instagrammer Liz Miu also provides plant‑based recipes which she enjoys.
Oceania MacKenzie’s achievements continue to dismantle myths about vegan strength, power and performance — and she stands as a role model for young climbers across Australia and beyond.