SEOUL - China's Long Jianguo captured his first world title in men's speed climbing here on Thursday at the 2025 IFSC Climbing World Championships, marking the first time in 13 years that a Chinese male speed climber has won a World Championships gold.
Long, 22, topped the final in 4.80 seconds, narrowly defeating Germany's Leander Carmanns by 0.19 seconds. He advanced to the final with consistently strong performances, completing each run in under five seconds, overcoming competitors from Ukraine, Spain and Iran.
Qualification leader Zach Hammer of the United States bounced back from a fall in the semifinal, defeating Iran's Reza Alipour Shenazandifard to claim the bronze medal. His compatriot and world record holder Samuel Watson fell in the quarterfinals.
"I'm very happy," said Long, who won the World Cup in Wujiang earlier this year. "The pressure from my opponents pushed me to keep breaking through, and I feel this also marks a new milestone and a fresh start for China."
The last Chinese climber to win this title was Zhong Qixin, who clinched four consecutive IFSC World Championship men's speed climbing golds between 2007 and 2012.
Three other Chinese climbers advanced to the round of 16 alongside Long. 2024 Olympic silver medalist Wu Peng was later eliminated in the quarterfinals, while Chu Shouhong and Li Xu exited in the round of 16.
The men's and women's lead semifinals and finals will take place on Friday, with China's Pan Yufei and Zhang Yuetong set to compete.
With para climbing set for its Paralympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, the IFSC Para Climbing World Championships also concluded on Thursday as the remaining eight sport classes crowned their champions.
Among the highlights, France's Solenne Piret claimed her fifth world title in the women's AU2, topping the route at hold 47. "I train a lot. It's more and more pressure, and you have to deal with that. I try to stay in shape and stay strong; it's a long process," she said.
Japan's Nobuhiro Yasuraoka celebrated his first world crown in the men's AU3, building on the silver medal he earned at the 2023 worlds.
The championships concluded with 19 sport class winners entering the history books.
