On the closing day of The World Games Chengdu 2025, Deng Lijuan of China was awarded the prestigious Athlete of the Day recognition, capping off a week that saw her triumph twice on home soil.

Deng secured two gold medals in Climbing — first in the women’s Speed event, then in the women’s Speed Relay alongside her teammate Zhou Yafei. Her performances not only underlined China’s dominance at this edition of The World Games, where the host nation won five of the six gold medals in Climbing, but also highlighted Deng’s status as one of the discipline's brightest stars.

She was joined in receiving the honour by Hashimoto Yuki of Japan, gold medallist in Drone Racing. The awards were presented during the Closing Ceremony by International World Games Association (IWGA) President José Perurena and Director of the State General Administration of Sports Gao Zhidan, marking a celebratory close to the Games.

Reflecting on her achievements, Deng said: “Competing here for the first time has been transformative. Sport climbing has not only built my strength but also my confidence. I’ve realised that when you face challenges head-on, you never know how much strength you truly have until you give your best. This victory is especially meaningful because I was still recovering from an injury before the competition."

The Athlete of the Day award continues a special connection between The World Games and Speed Climbing. At the previous edition in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, in July 2022, the honour was presented to Emma Hunt of the USA, underlining the discipline’s ability to deliver outstanding performances and inspirational athletes on the global stage.

Earlier this year, another Climbing athlete — Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia — was named Athlete of the Year by the IWGA, underscoring the growing impact of Climbing within the multi-sport community.