ROBBY AL HILMI AND DENG TRIUMPH AS SPEED FINALS DELIVER SURPRISES IN GUIYANG

Indonesia's Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi and China's Deng Lijuan claimed Speed gold at the World Climbing Series Guiyang 2026, with both winners producing personal-best performances when it mattered most.

The finals delivered plenty of surprises, with several of the biggest names in the field eliminated before the medal races. Men's qualification winner Zhao Yicheng of China and USA's Samuel Watson both bowed out in the quarter-finals, while women's qualification leader Emma Hunt of the USA also saw her campaign end at the same stage. China's Fan Jingyue, who had qualified second behind Hunt, was eliminated in the round of 16.

AL HILMI MAKES BREAKTHROUGH IN GUIYANG

The men's final produced a landmark moment for Al Hilmi, who raced to the first gold of his young career with a spectacular personal best of 4.65 seconds in the medal race.

The Indonesian climber finished ahead of China's Ling Yongzhi, who placed second and also set a personal best with 4.75. The result earned Ling his first World Climbing podium.

Chu Shouhong completed an all-Asian podium with bronze in 4.80. The Chinese climber had arrived in Guiyang with a perfect record of two gold medals from two previous participations in the city, having won at the Youth World Championships in 2024 before triumphing at the IFSC World Cup in 2025.

Japan's Omasa Ryo finished fourth in 4.99.

For Al Hilmi, the victory was as unexpected as it was significant: "It feels so amazing! I wasn't expecting this. I was a little bit shocked at the end of the final. I thought, 'Really, I won?!' I'm so grateful, thank you to our government, our national federation, and to all Indonesian people!" he said.

The newly crowned champion then turned his attention to a special message for his mother, shouting out to her in Bahasa Indonesia as he celebrated the biggest victory of his career.

DENG RETURNS TO THE TOP

The women's final also produced a personal-best performance from the winner, as Deng Lijuan stormed to gold in 6.14 seconds.

The Chinese climber, a silver medallist at both the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the World Championships Seoul 2025, secured the sixth World Climbing gold medal of her career. It was her first victory since Briançon 2024, ending a wait of more than two years for another top step of the podium.

"Tonight I feel really happy because I waited for this moment for two years," said Deng.

"It feels very exciting to win in this format in front of Chinese fans. Thanks to all of them and to our Nation's support."

Ukraine's Polina Khalkevych bounced back from a disappointing sixth-place finish at the European Championship in Laval, France, to take silver in Guiyang. Her 6.37-second run earned her a second World Climbing silver medal of the season, following her runner-up finish earlier this year in Alcobendas, Spain.

South Korea's Jeong Jimin completed the podium with 6.39, securing bronze ahead of compatriot Sung Hanareum. Sung finished fourth in 6.88, her best result at a World Climbing Series event.

NEXT UP

Day two at the World Climbing Series Guiyang 2026 will feature the qualifications and finals of the Speed Mixed Relay event. Qualification will start at 11:25 (UTC+8:00), while the finals will close the show at 19:30.

News and updates about all World Climbing events will be available on the World Climbing website, and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.