CHENGDU: China’s Long Jianguo set a new national record of 4.74 seconds to win the men’s four-lane speed climbing title, while Indonesia’s Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi claimed the women’s crown in 6.35 during the World Games at the Tianfu Park.

It was the first time the four-lane format has appeared in sport climbing at a multi-sport event.

Unlike the Olympic’s two-lane standard, this event features four parallel lanes with four climbers racing simultaneously. The gold medal round is contested by all four finalists at once, rather than a head-to-head showdown.

“I felt this format was so much fun after the first run,” said gold medallist Long. “There’s a lot of unpredictability in the new format. In one run today, my team-mate and I both made mistakes. Everyone feels the pressure, but it’s about who can hold on.”

A former World Cup winner, Long topped the qualification round before advancing to the 16-strong knockout stage. He narrowly avoided elimination in the quarterfinals but went on to become the only Chinese climber in the four-man medal race.

“When you’re climbing with four people, you really don’t feel much. You’re focused, and you don’t know your place until hitting the top pad,” Long said.

Indonesia’s former world record holder Kiromal Katibin took silver in 4.81 seconds, while Kazakhstan’s Rishat Khaibullin finished third, 0.02 seconds behind.

The women’s final saw all four climbers deliver clean runs. Desak emerged fastest, followed by Chinese newcomer Qin Yumei in 6.42 seconds. Desak’s compatriot Rajiah Sallsabillah clocked 6.951 to snatch bronze by just 0.005 seconds ahead of Poland’s Natalia Kalucka.

Toru Kobinata, vice president of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), said that as a young sport, sport climbing “has always been exploring possibilities to move to the next level.”

He described the World Games as a key platform for testing new formats and engaging with other sports, with the four-lane event being one such trial.

“For the audience, having four climbers race at once is definitely more exciting,” Kobinata said. He noted that the format adds to the unpredictability of speed climbing — “nothing is certain until the last moment” — and that multiple qualifying runs give athletes a chance to make up for earlier mistakes.

However, he acknowledged the increased physical demands and said the IFSC will continue studying the best ways to present new formats such as the four-lane and speed relay.

China added another gold to their tally when the hosts won the aerobic gymnastics group event ahead of Italy at the Dong’an Lake Sports Park Multi-Function Gymnasium.

China’s team comprises five university students, including Feng Lei, the only female athlete, and four male athletes, Fan Siwei, Liang Wenjie, Teng Hao and Xu Tong. The quintet had already topped the six-team qualification earlier in the day.

In the final, they delivered a routine to fast-paced music themed around overcoming challenges to rescue a girl from a fire, a tribute to firefighters. The performance earned them 20.265 points, ahead of Italy’s 19.615 and Romania’s 19.136.

CORRAL WINS INDIVIDUAL DUATHLON

Meanwhile, on Friday, Mexico’s Anahi Alvarez Corral clinched women’s individual duathlon gold by just two seconds.

Alvarez Corral surged ahead from lap 14 of the cycling segment, finishing in one hour, 25 minutes and 31 seconds. Spain’s Maria Varo Zubiri secured the silver medal, two seconds back, with Belgium’s Jeanne Dupont claiming bronze.

“I knew the competition would be fierce, especially from the Spanish athlete and the strong Belgian team. But I came ready to fight till the end. The girls are so good and I’m happy to be able to rub shoulders with them,” said Alvarez Corral, making her first World Games appearance.

“I loved everything here, the competition, the course, the bike route. I felt strong and I enjoyed throughout this incredible experience,” she added.

After a rest day on Saturday, the duathlon concludes on Sunday with the mixed relay.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025