China's Long Jianguo and Indonesia's Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi made sporting history on Friday as the first champions of four-lane speed climbing at the Chengdu World Games. Long clocked 4.74 seconds to set a national record, while Desak secured gold in 6.35 seconds during the innovative event's inaugural appearance at a multi-sport competition.
Racing Against the Clock – and Each Other
The four-lane format – featuring simultaneous races with quadruple the Olympic standard's participants – brought heightened drama to the vertical track. "You don't know your place until hitting the top pad," Long told reporters after his victory, describing the intensity of competing against three rivals at once.
New Format, New Possibilities
International Federation of Sport Climbing Vice President Toru Kobinata praised the experiment: "Having four climbers race at once is definitely more exciting for audiences." Athletes welcomed the format's unpredictability, with American climber Logan Schlecht noting it allows "more chances to correct mistakes" through multiple qualifying runs.
Podium Finishes Across Continents
Kazakhstan's Rishat Khaibullin claimed bronze in the men's event (4.83s), while China's Qin Yumei took silver in the women's competition (6.42s) ahead of Indonesia's Rajiah Sallsabillah. The results highlight Asia's growing dominance in competitive climbing, with athletes from the region securing five of six available medals.
