The second day of competition at the World Climbing Series Chongqing 2026 opened with the Speed Mixed Relay qualification round, with China 1 leading the field and New Zealand 1 setting a new Oceania record on their way to the final.

CHINA LEADS A CLOSE TOP THREE

China 1’s Ling Yongzhi and Mou Yuji set the fastest time of the qualification round, stopping the clock at 11.47 seconds.

Two Indonesian teams followed closely behind. Indonesia 1, composed of Raharjati Nursamsa and Rajiah Sallsabillah, finished second in 11.78, while Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi and Adi Kadek of Indonesia 2 took third in 11.89.

Nursamsa and Sallsabillah are aiming to repeat their success from Guiyang, China, where they claimed gold in the Mixed Relay one week ago.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKS OCEANIA RECORD

New Zealand’s Julian David and Helen Lee produced a major improvement to set a new Oceania record and secure their place in the final.

The pair clocked 13.86 seconds, lowering the previous continental benchmark of 17.26 by more than three seconds. The performance placed them 15th overall and earned a spot in the final.

Lee explained that the team prioritised a clean run after a difficult opening attempt: “We mostly focused on getting a clean run, especially after we messed up the first one. It definitely wasn't our fastest, like the fastest we could run individually. I think we were just trying to play it safe a little bit. And also our start and transition were better.”

With the pair having never practised the relay together before, Lee believes there is still room for improvement.

“I hope we can improve again, because we have never even practised the relay before. I've never practised reacting to someone else going instead of the beep,” she concluded.

ZURLONI AND COLLI MAKE THEIR DEBUT TOGETHER

Italy’s Matteo Zurloni and Beatrice Colli finished sixth in 12.05, with the pair competing together for the first time. Zurloni was pleased with their performance after focusing on clean technique.

“I felt pretty confident about this. I'm happy," he commented. "I was trying to do clean technique because in the last competition I didn't manage to do so, and the time was good. I'm happy, it's my first time with Bea.”

The Italian climber was also managing an injured toe during the qualification round, but the adrenaline of competition helped him push through the pain: “It hurts so much. But managing it with some taping and the adrenaline from the competition, I can handle it. Now I just want to enjoy the final and push it.”

The Speed Mixed Relay final will bring the second day of competition to a close in Chongqing, with 16 teams set to battle for the podium.

NEXT UP

The Speed Mixed Relay final will conclude day two in Chongqing starting at 19:30 (UTC+8:00).

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