China's climbers continue to peak on home soil

The World Climbing Series Chongqing 2026 wrapped up on Sunday with a stellar performance by the Chinese National Climbing Team, which secured a gold medal in the women’s speed relay and a bronze in the men’s speed relay.
Over the three-day event, China amassed an impressive haul of two golds, one silver and two bronze medals.

On a thrilling Sunday night at the Chongqing Datianwan National Fitness Center in the city’s Yuzhong district, Fan Jingyue and Zhang Shaoqin led China to victory in the women’s speed relay with a time of 12.97 seconds, defeating Indonesia and successfully defending their title.

The win follows their recent triumph at the World Climbing Series Guiyang 2026. With Zhang hailing from Guizhou province and Fan calling Chongqing home, both got to celebrate victory on home soil.

In an interview with China Daily, the duo explained that they had only just teamed up ahead of Guiyang event, and their consecutive wins highlight their mutual trust and teamwork.

In the men’s speed relay, Ukraine’s ‌Yaroslav Tkach and ‌Hryhorii Ilchyshyn snagged gold with a time of 10.03 seconds after a false start by the team fro the United States. China’s second team, consisting Long Jinbao and Huang Jingjie, claimed bronze by beating Kazakhstan with a time of 10.11 seconds.

On Saturday, China’s Mou Yuju and Ling Yongzhi won gold in the mixed speed relay. One day earlier, in the individual speed event, US climber Emma Hunt clinched gold with a time of 6.13 seconds, while Zhang earned silver with a personal best of 6.30 seconds. Japan’s Ryo Omasa won the men’s event, with Germany’s Leander Carmanns and China’s Zhao Yicheng taking silver and bronze, respectively.

The World Climbing Series Chongqing 2026, which kicked off on Friday, drew 100 elite athletes from 21 countries and regions. This A-level event, sanctioned by the World Climbing (WCL), featured five major events: Men’s Speed, Women’s Speed, Men’s Speed Relay, Women’s Speed Relay and Mixed Speed Relay.

The event was organized by the WCL and hosted by the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Chinese Mountaineering Association, the Chongqing Sports Bureau, and the local district government.