World Games 2025: China, Indonesia split gold medals in debut four-lane speed climbing; Mexico's Corral wins duathlon gold

Chengdu, Aug 15 (IANS) China's Long Jianguo set a new national record of 4.74 seconds to win the men's four-lane speed climbing title at The World Games here on Friday, while Indonesia's Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi claimed the women's crown in 6.35.

Meanwhile, Mexico's Anahi Alvarez Corral won gold in the women's individual duathlon by just two seconds on Friday, while China claimed the aerobic gymnastics group gold, with Italy taking silver and Romania bronze at the Dong'an Lake Sports Park Multi-Function Gymnasium.

It was the first time the four-lane format had appeared in sport climbing at a multi-sport event. Unlike the Olympics' 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, reports Xinhua. "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 teammate 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.

Thanking his team for helping him prepare, he said, "Yesterday I didn't get the gold for the standard two-lane race that I wanted. Today, my team took care of many off-the-wall matters so I could focus completely on the competition."

Indonesia's former world record holder Kiromal Katibin took silver in 4.81 seconds, with Kazakhstan's Rishat Khaibullin finishing 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.

Many athletes welcomed the introduction of the new format. "The four-lane is super fun. It's the same sport, but it adds a new freshness to it," said American Logan Schlecht, adding that climbers have four runs, giving them more chances to correct mistakes in the four-lane format's qualifiers.

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.

Mexican wins women's duathlon

In the women's individual duathlon, 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 took silver, 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 it throughout this incredible experience," she added.

As China's only representative in the event, 19-year-old Lu called the race "a valuable learning experience." She managed to overtake several rivals but was hampered by a minor penalty. "During the first transition from running to cycling, I was so focused on catching up with other players that I forgot to put my running shoes in the designated basket, resulting in a time penalty," Lu said, adding she was still "quite satisfied with the performance."

After a rest day on Saturday, the duathlon concludes on Sunday with the mixed relay at the Chengdu World Games.

Host wins the aerobic gymnastics

China claimed the aerobic gymnastics group gold at the Chengdu World Games here on Friday, with Italy taking silver and Romania bronze 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.

When the result was confirmed, 23-year-old Feng smiled through tears as the team embraced before taking a victory lap with the national flag, waving to the crowd. "We've trained for a long time and overcome many difficulties," Feng said. "When we realised we were champions, we all felt a huge sense of relief and excitement."

Asked why they chose aerobic gymnastics, the team answered in unison: "Out of love." "It's a sport that shows strength, flexibility, and skill," added Fan, who called the gold medal his "best birthday gift."

Italy's silver-medal performance featured a blend of traditional Chinese music, kung fu, and dance, drawing loud cheers.

"Since the competition is in China, we wanted to pay tribute to the country and its audience," said Italy's David Nacci, a 25-year-old engineer. "We all love Chinese culture, especially Tai Chi. Chengdu is a wonderful city, and the people here are so warm and welcoming. It's an unforgettable journey," Nacci added.

--IANS

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