China's Wu, Meng win maiden speed climbing titles at Asian Championships

TAI'AN, China, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The speed climbing events of the 2024 Asian Climbing Championships concluded here on Sunday, with China's Wu Peng and Meng Shixue claiming their first-ever Asian championships victories in men's and women's categories respectively.

The men's field remained competitive despite the absence of traditional powerhouses Indonesia and South Korea. Iran's Reza Alipour Shenazandifard, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, and Kazakhstan's Amir Maimuratov, both capable of scaling under 4.90 seconds, were among the key contenders. China sent a five-strong team to the men's event, but only Paris Olympic silver medalist Wu made it to the final four.

Wu faced Shenazandifard in a closely contested semifinal race which remained neck-and-neck until the final stretch. A slip from Shenazandifard allowed Wu to seize the advantage, finishing in 4.89 seconds to secure his spot in the final.

Asked about the pressure of being the only Chinese climber remaining to face the formidable Iranian, Wu responded, "I just stayed calm; I didn't feel much [pressure]."

Despite his composed demeanor, he couldn't hide a smile after the race, expressing satisfaction with achieving his personal best.

"I haven't performed well since the Olympics, and 4.89 seconds is my best time recently," he said. "Seeing that time on the clock made me very happy."

In the final, Maimuratov was disqualified for a false start, handing Wu the victory. However, Wu chose to continue his climb, posting an impressive 4.90 seconds although it didn't count in the official results.

"There are a lot of fans here supporting me tonight, and I wanted to enjoy the competition a bit more," Wu explained after the final.

Shenazandifard took the bronze.

Three of the four semifinalists were from China in the women's event. Meng, fresh from winning the national title in late September, set her personal bests in both the semifinals and the final to secure the gold, finishing in 6.68 seconds.

As for the secret to her record-breaking performances, Meng joked, "I don't really know. Maybe I just wanted the title badly."

The 17-year-old said she was pressure-free entering this competition, "I kept pushing because I thought, 'If everyone else is strong, what's there to be afraid of?' I just focused on climbing as fast as I could, even if I made a mistake, I quickly corrected it and kept going."

Kazakhstan's Tamara Ulzhabayeva took silver, while China's Zhou Yafei claimed bronze.