Chinese speed climber wins World Cup gold

The fourth installment of the International Federation of Sport Climbing Speed World Cup Series 2022 concluded in Villars, Switzerland, on July 1, with China dominating both the women's and men's finals and taking home five out of a possible six medals.

Participating in his debut IFSC World Cup, Long Jianguo, 19, from Rongjiang county of Guizhou province, claimed the gold medal in the men's event and his first World Cup. He took the win in a neck-and-neck finish with teammate Wu Peng, who came in second, stopping the clock with respective times of 5.23 and 5.24 seconds in the final.

Chinese netizens commented that his victory recreates the glamour of "Chinese speed" in the World Cup.

"I feel very excited and I didn't expect this. It's my first time to compete in a World Cup, so I feel pretty good. I want to thank my country for supporting me step by step in getting this medal," said Long Jianguo.

Wang Jin contributed to this story.