China's sport climbing reaching new heights

The final event of the 2025 International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup series was held on Sept 12-13 in Guiyang, Guizhou province, with China claiming the top prize in both the men's and women's categories.

The season's grand finale, featured men's and women's speed events, and attracted 68 elite athletes from 14 countries and regions.

China's Chu Shouhong claimed the men's title, followed by Japan's Ryo Omasa with silver, and Germany's Leander Carmanns with bronze. In the women's category, China's Meng Shixue took gold, South Korea's Jeong Ji-min secured silver, and the United States' Emma Hunt earned bronze.

Tallying up the points from events in Wujiang (China), Bali (Indonesia), Denver (USA), Krakow (Poland), and Chamonix (France), Indonesia's Kiromal Katibin won the men's championship, with the United States' Samuel Watson in second and Japan's Ryo Omasa in third.

Emma Hunt from the US claimed the women's title, followed by China's Zhou Yafei in second and Indonesia's Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi in third.

As the season's final speed event, the athletes' performances in Guiyang were an important factor for determining the year's overall rankings. It also served as a crucial warm-up for World Championships taking place later this month. The competition was fierce, resulting in one of the most closely decided events in recent years.

The IFSC World Cup series final came just two weeks after the 2025 Asian Youth Climbing Championships — another event hosted in Guiyang, Guizhou province — demonstrating their commitment to building an integrated climbing ecosystem. In addition to hosting international events, Guiyang provides natural crags, professional training bases and athlete development programs. By hosting high-profile competitions, the region aims to turn "event buzz" into economic growth, exploring how climbing can drive local development.

Men's speed climbing enters the "4-second Era"

Since speed climbing was introduced as an Olympic sport with two gold medals at Paris 2024, more countries and regions have invested in the discipline, leading to rapid improvements in performance. This final World Cup event attracted top speed climbers globally, with nine of the world's top 10 men and seven of the top 10 women having attended.

The high level of competition was on display during the men's qualifiers on Sept 12, where 11 of the 16 finalists broke the 5-second mark. These athletes represented seven countries: China, the USA, Indonesia, Germany, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Japan. Since Indonesia's Veddriq Leonardo set a world record of 4.90 seconds in 2023, breaking the 5-second mark has become the benchmark for younger generations. After two seasons of progress, men's speed climbing has now collectively entered the "4-second era."

Local talents shine

Following IFSC quota rules — two fixed spots, up to four athletes who rank within the top 40 in the world, and four spots for the host, per gender/discipline — China fielded two full teams of 10 men and 10 women. Two 18-year-old athletes, Chu Shouhong and Meng Shixue, won the men's and women's titles. Nine Chinese women and five Chinese men reached the top 16.

Among the 11 men who qualified, hitting the sub-5 second mark, three were Chinese — Long Jianguo, Chu Shouhong, and Li Xu — the most of any country. Chu set a personal best of 4.79 seconds on his way to gold.

On the women's side, nine Chinese competitors reached the finals, with two-time world youth champion Meng consistently improving her times throughout the event to claim gold. The strong showing of young athletes highlighted China's growth in the sport.

Guizhou building a "climbing+" model

The event was held at the IFSC-certified Guizhou Caihu International Climbing Center, which boasts Olympic-standard walls, built with world-leading technology. The world-class venue is set within the lush greenery of the 5500-acre Guanshanhu Park, creating a unique urban sports landscape where cutting-edge climbing walls meets natural beauty.

"This is an exceptional stage for sport, a unique window for tourism, a bridge for cultural exchange, and a dynamic platform for business collaboration," Christophe Billon, a representative of IFSC, said during the opening ceremony. "The IFSC highly appreciates and fully supports this vision. We look forward to long-term, in-depth cooperation with Guizhou and Guiyang to make this a shining jewel on the global climbing map."

In addition to the event itself, spectators were also able to enjoy surrounding activity zones, which featured local food, interactive carnival games, and smart-driving experiences.

This year, Guizhou launched the "Racing Through Guizhou's Landscapes" initiative, leveraging its natural and cultural assets to host marquee sports events within scenic areas. The initiative aims to enhance the tourism experience and local consumption, and showcase the province's innovative model of integrating sports, culture and tourism.