Sebastian Musson: Meet the Para-climber with Paralympic gold ambitions

Musson knows what it means to be inspired.

He was only four years old in 2012 when he watched the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London and made what has turned out to be a life-defining statement.

“I said to my parents ‘that’s what I want to do, I want to go to the Paralympics and I want to win gold’,” he said.

Musson smiles when talking about it because for more than a decade he admits he “didn’t have a sport” to focus on despite his grand ambition.

But in Para-climbing, he has found a way to try to ascend to Paralympic glory.

“I’m taking it all the way and going to go achieve that dream,” he said.

“I am very much thinking about LA and aiming for the gold medal.”

In 2024, Musson claimed his first international medal when he won silver in the AU2 category – for athletes with moderate upper-limb impairments – at the European Championships in Villars, Switzerland.

He has since collected bronze medals at World Cup events in Italy and the United States.

And all the success so far can be traced back to a rainy day in 2018 when Musson was forced indoors instead of attending his usual rugby union training session.

It was soon after that Aggarwal spotted the novice and asked to coach him.

“Instead of just sitting around at home, my dad suggested we go climbing, so we did. And after the first session I was absolutely hooked,” Musson said.

“It was the second time we went that I met Anita. The impact of meeting her I don’t think I could comprehend at the time. If it wasn’t for her, I don't think I’d be climbing right now, especially in the situation that I’m in now.”