Olympic Qualification Series · Shanghai
May 16-19 Shanghai Huangpu Riverside
From 16 to 19 May, the Olympic Qualification Series Shanghai will be held at the Huangpu Riverside Expo Park, which includes four trendy sports: breakdancing, rock climbing, skateboarding and BMX freestyle. Among the four sports in the Olympic Qualification Series in Shanghai, rock climbing is one of the most familiar extreme sports for spectators. Naturally, watching the god-level rock climbers compete on the spot is also a valuable opportunity for spectators with climbing experience, especially young audiences.
Part 01 .
There are a lot of people who play rock climbing
Shanghai is one of the more mature provinces and cities in China to carry out rock climbing. According to incomplete statistics, there are currently about 90 operating gyms in Shanghai, among which the professional rock climbing training base is located in Fengxian, which can be used for national team training. The rock climbing factory located in Baoshan District is one of the largest operating rock museums in China, with a number of racing rock walls, difficult rock walls and bouldering rock climbing.
The favorable venue conditions provide the soil for Shanghai to cultivate the culture of rock climbing. At present, nearly 60 primary and secondary schools in Shanghai have offered rock climbing courses, such as Shanghai Qisehua Primary School in Huangpu District, which has moved the rock wall into the campus. There are more than 700 registered young rock climbers in various districts of Shanghai. At the first National Student (Youth) Games held in Guangxi last year, there were six rock climbing events, and Shanghai athletes won two gold medals in the men's speed competition and the men's biathlon. Because of the variety of venues and choices, many families in Shanghai support their children to practice rock climbing after school and strengthen their brains through this extreme sport.
For these climbing families, the Olympic Qualification Series Shanghai from May 16 to 19 at the Huangpu Riverside Expo Park is a great opportunity to observe and learn how the world's most high-level climbers use their wisdom and skills to conquer the rock faces.
Part 02 .
Faster than Usain Bolt
The Olympic Qualification Series is divided into a speed event and a biathlon event (difficulty and bouldering). As the name suggests, a race is a standard course for the athlete to climb the standard course, and the one who takes less time wins. The difficulty race requires athletes to complete different climbing routes, and the higher or farther they climb within the allotted time, the better the result. Bouldering is a test of who has climbed more routes, earned more points and made fewer attempts in a given amount of time.
Speed Racing
Difficulty
Bouldering
Do you know what is the shortest absolute world record in the Olympic speed event? It's not the 100-meter race on the track and field, it's the speed race in rock climbing. Speed racing is a competition of athletes' skills and physical fitness, and at the same time challenges the limits of human beings. At the Tokyo Olympics, the men's champion Marvin of France completed the climb in just 5.45 seconds, which is faster than Usain Bolt, but just two or three years later, the record has been shortened to 4.90 seconds. If you're a live spectator, blink your eyes twice and the contestant climbs to the top. This competition is really clear in the light of light.
In the men's speed final of the 2024 International Climbing Federation Rock Climbing World Cup (Wujiang Station), Chinese player Wu Peng (right) won the championship
If watching speed races is about adrenaline, then difficulty races are more about appreciating and learning the wisdom of the players. One detail of particular interest is that before the start of the difficulty race, the competitors were allowed to come to the rock face in a group to observe the course of the race for six minutes, allowing them to interact with each other. It was the funniest moment of the show. If you are a live audience familiar with rock climbing, you can think at the same time as the athletes, design the most advantageous climbing route, and then see if your design and the athlete's ideas are in sync? This is a unique experience of watching a climbing competition.
Japan's star An Le Sedou in the Hangzhou Asian Games rock climbing difficulty competition
Part 03 .
Chinese players come on
In accordance with the rules for the allocation of qualification places for climbing at the Paris Olympics, the top five athletes in the Olympic Qualification Series will qualify for Paris in addition to the top two World Championships and the five continental qualifiers, while the top 10 athletes in the Olympic Qualification Series will travel to Paris in the biathlon event combining difficulty and bouldering. At this time, everyone will definitely be concerned, do we Chinese rock climbers have a chance? Of course there is!
China's Luo Zhilu won the runner-up in the women's difficulty competition at the 2024 International Climbing Federation Climbing World Cup (Wujiang Station).
China's Long Jinbao and Deng Lijuan have qualified for the Olympics in the men's and women's sprint events, respectively. China's Zhang Yuetong qualified for the women's biathlon in Paris. And other outstanding athletes, including Wu Peng and Luo Zhilu, are also very hopeful to catch the shuttle bus to Paris. In the first Rock Climbing World Cup of the year held in Wujiang, Suzhou two weeks ago, Wu Peng won the men's speed race and broke the Asian record, and Luo Zhilu won the second place in the women's difficulty race.
From May 16th to 19th, come to the Olympic Qualification Series in Shanghai and cheer for Chinese athletes to hit the Paris Olympic Games.