<![CDATA[Sport climbing requires physical competence, technical skills, decision-making abilities, and psychological readiness, particularly in managing competitive anxiety. Mental imagery is a potential psychological training approach to support athletes’ psychological readiness and performance. This study aimed to conceptually examine the application of PETTLEP-based mental imagery in relation to competitive anxiety and performance readiness among sport climbing athletes, considering gender perspectives and individual characteristics. A structured narrative literature review with conceptual synthesis was employed to integrate literature on sport climbing psychology, mental imagery, competitive anxiety, and gender-related perspectives in sport. The literature was analyzed thematically and comparatively across four areas: the psychological characteristics of sport climbing, the PETTLEP model, the relationship between mental imagery and competitive anxiety, and gender perspectives in mental training. The synthesis indicates that mental imagery may provide a contextual approach to preparing athletes for climbing-specific demands, including route reading, movement sequencing, attentional control, and emotional regulation. The PETTLEP model offers a theoretical framework for developing imagery exercises tailored to the physical, environmental, task-related, temporal, learning, emotional, and perspective-related demands of sport climbing. However, evidence directly examining the combined relationships among mental imagery, competitive anxiety, gender, and performance in sport climbing remains limited. Gender should therefore be considered alongside individual factors rather than used to assume uniform psychological needs or intervention responses. This study proposes an integrative conceptual framework linking athlete characteristics and competition context, PETTLEP-based mental imagery, psychological readiness, and performance readiness. The framework provides a theoretical foundation for future empirical research and the development of individualized mental training programs for sport climbing athletes. Further studies are needed to test its effectiveness using validated anxiety measures and objective performance indicators.]]>
