PBs and narrow margins headlined the debut of Speed 4 at The World Games Chengdu 2025.
The first-ever Speed 4 finals in the history of Climbing delivered drama, personal bests, and tight races at The World Games Chengdu 2025. Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi of Indonesia and Long Jianguo of China claimed gold in the new format that brought four athletes onto the wall for each race, creating a unique spectacle for fans and a new challenge for the world’s fastest climbers.
KUSUMA DEWI ADDS ANOTHER TITLE
Reigning world champion Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi of Indonesia took the women’s Speed 4 gold with a time of 6.35 seconds, adding another title to her career after winning her first-ever World Cup gold in Krakow this July. Qin Yumei of China finished second in 6.42, earning her second medal in as many days in what is her first international season.
Kusuma Dewi said, following the award ceremony: “First, I would like to thank the people of Chengdu for the support, and my team and my competitors. Competing on a four-lane wall is more difficult, as it requires more concentration. Also, here at The World Games we had three events, while we usually have one.”
The battle for bronze came down to just five thousandths of a second, with Rajiah Sallsabillah of Indonesia posting 6.951 to edge out Natalia Kalucka of Poland, silver medallist at The World Games Birmingham 2022. For Sallsabillah, the medal marked an impressive comeback after back surgery, having only returned to competition five weeks ago at the IFSC World Cup in Chamonix, France.
For the women’s Speed 4 complete results click here.
LONG SETS PB TO WIN MEN’S FINAL
Long Jianguo of China surged to victory in the men’s Speed 4 final, setting a new personal best of 4.74 seconds and lowering his previous mark of 4.78. He edged out Kiromal Katibin of Indonesia, who clocked 4.81 to claim silver and add a fifth medal to his 2025 collection, following four World Cup podiums earlier in the season.
Rishat Khaibullin of Kazakhstan matched his personal best with 4.83 to secure bronze — his first medal of the year — while Raharjati Nursamsa of Indonesia finished fourth after a hesitation in the final third of his run, stopping the clock at 5.14.
Long said: “I would like to thank everyone for their support, especially my team, who noticed that I was a little bit upset after yesterday’s final and handled some little things for me today and allowed me to stay focused.
“I would also like to congratulate with my opponents, we are very close in terms of strength and speed and they led me to spare no efforts and try my best. I’m actually very luck to have won.”
For the men’s Speed 4 complete results click here.
MEDAL TABLE
China’s medal tally now stands at seven, with Long’s gold and Qin’s silver adding to the five medals won in yesterday’s Speed finals.
The provisional medal table of Climbing events at Chengdu 2025 is as follows:
| NATION | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL |
| China | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| USA | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
NEXT UP
The Climbing programme at The World Games Chengdu 2025 will conclude tomorrow with the men’s and women’s Speed Relay events. Qualifications will start at 10:00 (UTC+8:00), while finals are set to begin at 11:38.
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.
