HARBIN, China - China triumphed in the men's 4x100m relay at the 19th World Firefighting and Rescue Championship held in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, marking their first gold medal in the event.

The race is quite different from the regular relay in an athletic event. Besides sprinting to the finish line, the quartet must complete a series of firefighting tasks, including running with a fire ladder, climbing over some obstacles, crossing a single-log bridge, connecting a hose and attacking the fire with an extinguisher.

China's quartet of Li Zhiwei, Yang Zechuan, Yang Dinghao and Wan Fu clocked a winning time of 55.62 seconds.

Teams from Belarus and Russia finished second and third respectively.

At the last edition of the World Firefighting and Rescue Championship in Istanbul, Turkiye in 2023, China had claimed a silver medal in the men's 4x100m relay.

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Launched by the International Sport Federation of Firefighters and Rescuers, the event is known as the "Firefighting Olympics", aiming to deepen the exchange of global firefighting sports and promote the development of emergency management, firefighting and rescue services.

China has sent 10 male athletes to compete across all events, and 10 female athletes to participate in two team events this year.