China News Service, Shanghai, September 7 (Reporter Miao Lu) The 2026 "Belt and Road" International Rock Climbing Challenge and China Rock Climbing League (Shanghai) ended on the evening of the 6th at Shanghai Xujiahui Sports Park. After three days of competition, the Chinese team won 3 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 3 bronze medals in the International Rock Climbing Challenge.
This International Rock Climbing Challenge has five events: women's speed, men's speed, women's speed relay, men's speed relay, and mixed speed relay. The event brings together many high-level international athletes. The two-time Asian Games gold medalist, the "Persian Cheetah" Reza Alipur from Iran, the champion and runner-up of the "Belt and Road" International Rock Climbing Speed Masters (Meishan, Sichuan), Japanese players Ryo Omasa and Hiirato Fujino, etc., all appeared at the Shanghai Station.
The host Chinese team, veterans and newcomers, sent four male athletes Ling Yongzhi, Zhou Ziyu, Long Jinbao, and Yu Zexuan and four female athletes Zhang Shaoqin, Huang Xinyi, Zhang Mengli, and Mou Yuju to compete.
It is worth mentioning that the speed event of this international rock climbing challenge uses a four-person track, which is fully aligned with the latest competition rules of the Nagoya Asian Games. Competitors on the four tracks started at the same time. The pace of the competition was faster and the confrontation was more direct. Every time the players started and accelerated on the rock wall, they attracted the attention of the audience.
In the end, Russia's Elizaveta Ivanova, who competed as a neutral athlete, won the women's speed championship. The mixed speed relay gold medal went to the Spanish team, while the Chinese team won all the championships in the remaining three events.
In the men's speed final, Ling Yongzhi won the championship with a time of 4.69 seconds, becoming one of the few speed players in the world to break 4.70 seconds. This season, only Zhao Yicheng, Long Jianguo and former world record holder Watson have broken 4.70 seconds in international competitions. In the speed relay, the Chinese team showed strong strength and won the first and second place in the men's and women's groups. In the men's final, Zhou Ziyu and Ling Yongzhi won the championship in 10.10 seconds, Yu Zexuan and Long Jinbao won the silver medal, and the Spanish team won the third place. In the women's final, Zhang Mengli and Zhang Shaoqin won the championship in 13.68 seconds, Mou Yuju and Huang Xinyi won the runner-up, and the Korean team ranked third.
In the China Rock Climbing League, young player Huang Xinyi of the Shanghai team won the women's speed climbing event, and Huang Jingjie of Jiangxi won the men's speed championship. In the rock climbing competition, Tan Youtian of the Guangdong team won the women's rock climbing championship, and the men's rock climbing championship belonged to Bai Xuanpu of the Zhejiang team.
The event was held in Xujiahui Sports Park, which also provided a more direct connection between rock climbing and urban life. During the event, the daily morning sessions are open to the public for free; in the afternoon and evening sessions, citizens and tourists can not only enter the venue to watch the games, but also watch the games and feel the atmosphere in the public activity area, allowing professional events to be integrated into urban public spaces in a more open way.
During the three-day competition, the outdoor basketball court of Xujiahui Sports Park attracted more than 3,000 people to watch and check-in. Sports events have also extended from competitions in the arena to become part of citizens' weekend leisure, social and consumption experience.
From international events to universal participation, from professional rock walls to urban public spaces, the 2026 "Belt and Road" International Rock Climbing Challenge and China Rock Climbing League (Shanghai) not only provide a high-level competitive stage for domestic and foreign athletes, but also allow more citizens to see, understand and feel rock climbing in familiar urban spaces. Bringing the event into the city and allowing more citizens to experience sports may be another highlight of this game for Shanghai.
