Asian Climbing Championship wraps up in Meishan, SW China's Sichuan

Asian Climbing Championship concluded on April 12 in Meishan, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, drawing more than 200 athletes from 15 countries and regions across Asia.

Chu Shouhong beats teammate Zhou Ziyu in the men's speed final, April 9, 2026. (Photo provided to Guangming Online)

Japan topped the medal table with three golds, three silvers and four bronzes, for a total of 10 medals. China finished second with one gold, two silvers and one bronze. South Korea ranked third with one gold and one silver, followed by Indonesia in fourth with one gold and one bronze.

The medal distribution highlighted clear regional strengths. China and Indonesia swept all six speed medals across the men's and women's events, while Japan and South Korea dominated the boulder and lead disciplines, claiming all 12 medals in those categories.

Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi sets a new Asian record in the women's speed final, April 9, 2026. (Photo provided to Guangming Online)

During the women's speed final on the evening of April 9, Indonesian climber Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi improved the Asian record to 6.07 seconds, just 0.04 seconds short of the world record.

China also demonstrated strong depth in speed climbing. Five of the six Chinese men advanced to the round of 16, with three reaching the semifinals. The women matched this performance. In the men's event, 20-year-old Chu Shouhong defeated Paris Olympic champion Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia in the men's semifinal.

The championship served as the final qualification event for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. After five days of competition, Chu Shouhong secured a quota in the men's speed event, Zhou Yafei earned a spot in the women's speed event, while Hu Junzhe and Luo Zhilu each earned spots in the men's and women's boulder and lead events, respectively. Combined with quotas previously earned by Long Jianguo and others at the Seoul World Championships, China has now obtained a full set of entries across all climbing disciplines for the Asian Games.

Photo shows Meishan International Climbing Center. (Photo provided to Guangming Online)

The Asian Championship was organized by the Asian Council of the International Federation of Sport Climbing, and co-hosted by the Mountaineering Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Chinese Mountaineering Association, the Sichuan Provincial Sports Bureau, and the Meishan Municipal People's Government.

Meishan, which has positioned itself as a city of modern sports, has hosted more than 30 major international and domestic events. The city continues to build momentum in integrating sports industry with cultural, tourism and commercial development.

During the competition, the Meishan government issued accommodation and dining vouchers to residents of four cities, including Chengdu and Meishan itself, encouraging greater public engagement with the event.