A New Star Rises in Sanya
The climbing world has a new king 👑! At the recent Asian Beach Games in Sanya, 16-year-old Chinese prodigy Zhao Yicheng absolutely crushed the men's speed climbing world record in a performance that was nothing short of electric.
The Record-Breaking Run
Zhao's journey to gold was a masterclass in rising to the occasion. In the preliminaries, he tied the Asian record with a blazing 4.73 seconds. But he was just warming up 🔥. In the very next round, the teenager unleashed an unbelievable 4.58-second sprint, shattering the previous world record of 4.64 seconds held by the USA's Sam Watson.
Golden Path to Victory
Fueled by confidence, Zhao powered past climbers from the Republic of Korea and Thailand to reach the semifinals, where he narrowly beat compatriot Chu Shouhong. In the gold medal match, he was awarded the top spot after his Indonesian opponent, Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi, was restrained by a false start.
China Dominates Women's Competition
The excitement wasn't just on the men's side! The women's event turned into an all-Chinese affair 🇨🇳. In a dramatic quarterfinal, Qin Yumei pulled off a stunning comeback against Indonesia's Asian record holder, Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi, to advance.
The semifinals were swept by Chinese climbers, setting up an intense final between teammates Deng Lijuan and Zhou Yafei. Zhou clinched the gold by a razor-thin 0.08 seconds, marking her first official win over Olympic silver medalist Deng. Zhang Shaoqin rounded out the podium by taking bronze over Qin.
This clean sweep by Chinese athletes underscores the nation's growing powerhouse status in competitive climbing. What a show! ✨
Reference(s):
Zhao shatters world record to secure gold in men's speed climbing
cgtn.com
