World Games 2025: China and Indonesia share gold in debut four-lane speed climbing; Mexico’s Corral wins duathlon title

Chengdu- China’s Long Jianguo set a new national record of **4.74 seconds** to win the men’s four-lane speed climbing gold at the World Games on Friday, while Indonesia’s Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi clinched the women’s title with a time of **6.35 seconds**.

At the same event, Mexico’s Anahi Alvarez Corral secured the women’s individual duathlon gold by just two seconds, and China claimed victory in aerobic gymnastics group competition, with Italy and Romania taking silver and bronze respectively at the Dong’an Lake Sports Park Multi-Function Gymnasium.

This marked the first appearance of the **four-lane format** in international multi-sport climbing. Unlike the Olympic two-lane system, four climbers race simultaneously, and all finalists compete together in the medal round. “This format is so much fun. There’s a lot of unpredictability… it’s about who can hold on,” said Long, who thanked his team for their support after narrowly surviving earlier rounds.

Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin took silver in 4.81 seconds, and Kazakhstan’s Rishat Khaibullin won bronze, finishing just 0.02 seconds behind. In the women’s event, Desak led a clean final run, with China’s Qin Yumei taking silver (6.42) and Desak’s compatriot Rajiah Sallsabillah edging Poland’s Natalia Kalucka by 0.005 seconds for bronze.

Many athletes welcomed the new format. “The four-lane is super fun… it brings freshness to the sport,” said American climber Logan Schlecht. IFSC vice president Toru Kobinata added that the format makes climbing more exciting for fans and offers athletes multiple qualifying runs to recover from mistakes, though it also increases physical demands.

**Mexican victory in women’s duathlon**
In the women’s individual duathlon, Alvarez Corral pulled ahead in the cycling segment’s 14th lap and finished in **1:25:31**. Spain’s Maria Varo Zubiri took silver, two seconds behind, while Belgium’s Jeanne Dupont claimed bronze.

“It was a tough race, but I came ready to fight until the end. Competing against such strong athletes was a privilege,” said Alvarez Corral, who was making her World Games debut.

China’s only entrant, 19-year-old Lu, overcame a minor penalty to gain experience and called the race “a valuable learning experience.” The duathlon will conclude with the mixed relay on Sunday.

**China tops aerobic gymnastics group final**
In aerobic gymnastics, China’s team — featuring Feng Lei, Fan Siwei, Liang Wenjie, Teng Hao, and Xu Tong — took group gold with a routine themed around rescuing a girl from a fire, earning **20.265 points**. Italy followed with **19.615**, and Romania scored **19.136**.

The victory sparked emotional celebrations for the Chinese team. “We’ve trained for so long and overcome so many challenges. Winning this gold means everything,” said Feng Lei.

Italy’s silver-medal routine incorporated Chinese music, kung fu, and dance as a tribute to the host nation. “Chengdu is an unforgettable city with wonderful people. We wanted to honour Chinese culture,” said Italian gymnast David Nacci.

With inputs from IANS