Zhao shatters world record to secure gold in men's speed climbing at Asian Beach Games

At the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, 16-year-old prodigy Zhao Yicheng made headlines by smashing the world record to capture the men's speed climbing gold medal in a thrilling performance.

In the preliminaries, Zhao showcased remarkable form, clocking in at 4.73 seconds to not only best Kyrgyzstan's Ilia Zhidkov but also tie the Asian record. However, he didn't stop there; in the second round, the talented teenager unveiled his true potential, finishing in an astonishing 4.58 seconds, shattering the previous world record of 4.64 seconds held by the USA's Sam Watson.

With confidence surging, Zhao continued his momentum, successfully defeating Republic of Korea's Shin Euncheol and Thailand's Aphiwit Limpanich-pakdee to reach the semifinals. There, he edged past compatriot Chu Shouhong by a mere 0.25 seconds to advance to the gold medal match. In a somewhat anticlimactic finale, Zhao claimed the gold after Indonesia's Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi was restrained by a false start.

On the women's side, China's Qin Yumei faced off against Asian record holder Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi of Indonesia in a high-stakes quarterfinal. Although Desak established an early lead, she faltered at the finish line, failing to properly touch the board. Meanwhile, Qin, despite a slip, deftly adjusted her hold and triumphed in 11.961 seconds, ensuring her advance.

China dominated the semifinals, securing all four spots, with Deng Lijuan, Zhou Yafei, and Zhang Shaoqin joining Qin. In the final showdown, Deng and Zhou faced off, both demonstrating their exceptional skills. Zhou emerged victorious by a slim margin of 0.08 seconds—marking her first official victory over Olympic silver medalist Deng.

In the bronze medal contest, Zhang topped Qin, further cementing China's stronghold on the climbing events at the Games.