Delivering a gripping performance
China's Wu Peng and Ludovico Fossali of Italy compete in the men's sport climbing speed qualification at the Olympic Qualifier Series, in Shanghai, last Friday. That's the number one rule the new fans of speed climbing learned quickly, as they watched the gravity-defying action — described as "a sprint race gone vertical" — at the Huangpu Riverside in Shanghai during the Olympic Qualifier Series' first leg last week. Despite missing out on first place, Team China proved its golden credentials in the discipline for Paris 2024, where speed climbing will make its debut as a stand-alone medal event, with podium finishes for Wu and third-placed Wang Xinshang, and rising star Zhou Yafei dominating the women's race. As the only two athletes consistently breaking the five-second mark in Shanghai, Wu and Leonardo will be expected to challenge reigning world record holder Samuel Watson of the United States, who has secured a direct Olympic berth by winning last year's Pan American Games title, in Paris should they maintain their scintillating form at the final OQS event, which takes place in Budapest, Hungary, from June 20-23.
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