The final IFSC Speed World Cup of the year will crown the series champions
In the final World Cup event before the IFSC Climbing and Para Climbing World Championships, and the final IFSC World Cup of the year, it is the Speed athletes who get to sign off both.
With medals, the series titles and a World Championships confidence booster on offer, the Speed climbers headed to Guiyang, China.
Indonesia’s Kiromal Katibin has been the most consistent performer at World Cups in 2025, and he once again puts himself in contention for yet another medal.
The former world record holder posted a 4.86s run to top a fast qualification where the top 11 climbers went sub-5.
Kiromal’s teammate Raharjati Nursamsa also ran a 4.86s but was in second place just .003 behind. So close was the qualification that four sets of times had to be separated by the third decimal on the timer.
Japan’s Omasa Ryo qualified in third spot with a 4.90s ahead of USA’s Zach Hammer and Ukraine’s Yaroslav Tkach in fourth and fifth, respectively.
For the American Hammer it was about consistency, for the Ukrainian Tkach it was about putting practice into competition action.
Hammer said: “For me, historically, I’ve had a history of having bad first runs and then coming back in the second, so a big goal for me this season has been to have a good first and second to help decrease the pressure. I had a 5.0 first and 4.9 second so a perfect qualification for me.”
Tkach knew he could post good times and was ready to do so in Guiyang saying: “I was prepared. I set a sub-5 in European comps and in training and now I have done it on the World Cup level.
“I want to push because I know I can do faster. My second run here was faster but I had a worse reaction time so I will push and we will see. But I want to push and fight for the win.”
Tkach's time of 4.93s was actually a new men's European record, so if he can go faster in finals, then watch out for it to be broken again.
China’s highest qualifier was Long Jianguo who was sixth with a 4.95s. Long was racing against world record holder Sam Watson in qualification, and he also made it through with a 4.97s for tenth.
Tkach’s teammate Hryhorii Ilchyshyn made the finals in the 16th spot with a time of 5.14s.
MEN’S FINALISTS
1 Kiromal KATIBIN (INA) 4.86(2)
2 Raharjati NURSAMSA (INA) 4.86(5)
3 OMASA Ryo (JPN) 4.90
4 Zach HAMMER (USA) 4.93(2)
5 Yaroslav TKACH (UKR) 4.93(6)
6 LONG Jianguo (CHN) 4.95(4)
7 Leander CARMANNS (GER) 4.95(9)
8 CHU Shouhong (CHN) 4.96
9 Amir MAIMURATOV (KAZ) 4.97(3)
10 Samuel WATSON (USA) 4.97(7)
11 LI Xu (CHN) 4.99
12 LING Yong Zhi (CHN) 5.02
13 YANG Jie (CHN) 5.04
14 Antasyafi ROBBY AL HILMI (INA) 5.08
15 FUJINO Shuto (JPN) 5.10
16 Hryhorii ILCHYSHYN (UKR) 5.14
Full men’s results can be found here
The home nation led the way in the women’s competition with Meng Shixue posting the best time of qualification to head a total of nine Chinese athletes set to contest the finals.
Meng, who won the U19 youth world title earlier in the year, posted a personal best time of 6.37s and led teammate Zhou Yafei who was in second spot with a 6.47s run.
With a home World Championships just days away, Jeong Jimin will hope for some success in China before she heads home, and the South Korean climber moved into finals with a time of 6.49s and the third-place spot.
USA’s Emma Hunt was fourth with a time of 6.52s and she will be joined by teammate Isis Rothfork who had the 15th best time of 7.19s.
For Rothfork, there was a sense of relief to make the finals round with a bit of self-appointed pressure on her: “I’m happy to make the final for sure because it’s always hard when you don’t have a good first run because its tense on the second. It’s not my best runs but with everything considered I’m not super disappointed. I just need to refocus and try to have a good result.”
Current world champion Desak Dewi of Indonesia progressed to the finals round with a time of 6.68s. Dewi’s eighth place was the best from her nation, but she is joined by teammates Rajiah Sallsabillah and Puja Lestari for a shot at a podium.
Sallsabillah took some time out after Paris 2024 to undergo surgery on her back and is slowly getting her rhythm again following the lay-off: “My performance has been better this competition than the last so I’m happy because it’s a new best time for me after my surgery. My times are getting better.”
Looking ahead to the finals Sallsabillah said: “I’ll be trying hard for tomorrow, but the level is very high as all the people are excited and going quick.”
The 16th and final climber to progress was Japan’s Koyamatsu Ren with a time of 7.23s.
WOMEN’S FINALISTS
1 MENG Shixue (CHN) 6.37
2 ZHOU Yafei (CHN) 6.47
3 JEONG Jimin (KOR) 6.49
4 Emma HUNT (USA) 6.52
5 WANG Shengyan (CHN) 6.58
6 MOU Yuju (CHN) 6.62
7 ZHANG Tianxiang(CHN) 6.65
8 Desak MADE RITA KUSUMA DEWI (INA) 6.68
9 QIN Yumei (CHN) 6.73
10 ZHANG Shaoqin(CHN) 6.77
11 Rajiah SALLSABILLAH (INA) 6.88
12 ZHANG Mengli (CHN) 7.02
13 SHI Xinyue (CHN) 7.14
14 Puja LESTARI (INA) 7.15
15 Isis ROTHFORK (USA) 7.19
16 KOYAMATSU Ren (JPN) 7.23
Full women’s results can be found here
News and updates about the event will be available on the IFSC website and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Bilibili, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.
