KUSUMA DEWI SHATTERS ASIAN RECORD TO CLAIM SPEED GOLD

Desak Made Rita KUSUMA DEWI of Indonesia

10 April 2026

Indonesia’s star clocked 6.07 in Meishan, while China’s Chu Shouhong breaks through with a sub-five victory

The World Climbing Asia Championship Meishan 2026 continued with the Speed finals on Thursday, 9 April, where continental titles were decided in a night of record-breaking performances and breakthrough victories.

RECORD-BREAKING RUN

Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi of Indonesia claimed gold in the women’s Speed final, stopping the clock at 6.07 seconds in the gold medal race to set a new Asian record. Her time marked the third fastest ever recorded and made her only the second woman in history to break the 6.10-second barrier.

Zhou Yafei of China secured silver with a time of 6.47, while Qin Yumei of China took bronze in 6.77 after winning the small final. Qin’s victory came after teammate Meng Shixue fell in the bronze medal race, leaving her just outside the podium in fourth place.

For the women’s Speed final complete results click here.

L/R: ZHOU Ziyu of China, CHU Shouhong of China, Veddriq LEONARDO of Indonesia

BREAKTHROUGH FOR CHU

In the men’s event, Chu Shouhong of China claimed gold with a winning time of 4.90, completing a breakthrough performance on home soil. The Chinese climber had already shown his form in the semi-final, where he clocked 4.91 – one of only two sub-five-second runs of the round.

Zhou Ziyu of China matched that level in the other semi-final with a 4.90, eventually taking silver in 5.04 in the final.

Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia secured bronze with a time of 5.15, while Ling Yongzhi of China fell in the bronze medal race, finishing fourth. For Chu, the gold medal marked a significant improvement from his 11th-place finish at the previous edition in Tai’an, China, in 2024, highlighting his rapid rise in the discipline.

For the men’s Speed final complete results click here.

NEXT UP

The World Climbing Asia Championship Meishan 2026 continues tomorrow, Friday, 10 April with the women's Boulder final starting at 14:00 (UTC+8:00), and the men's Boulder final kicking off at 17:30. Both finals will be live streamed on the World Climbing Asia YouTube channel accompanied by Chinese commentary.

News updates about Climbing events will be available on the World Climbing website, and on the organisation's digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, and YouTube.