With the Asian Games looming, China's climbers are peaking at the right time

The clock stopped and then the tears started.

Chinese speed climber Deng Lijuan had just won the women's speed event at the 2026 World Climbing Series Guiyang, clocking 6.14 seconds in the final, a new personal best — her first in more than two years.

For Deng, the gold medal meant more than just victory. It marked a return to form after a difficult period affected by injuries and technical adjustments.

"You can't give up easily," Deng said after the race, adding that she still hoped to improve further and "stand on the highest podium" at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Guiyang event, which concluded on Sunday at the Guizhou Caihu International Climbing Center, was an important final test for Asian teams preparing for the upcoming 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. The speed events at the Games will use the same four-lane format as the Guiyang competition.

China finished atop the medal table with three golds, three silvers and one bronze at the three-day event, which attracted 99 athletes from 24 countries and regions, plus four neutral athletes.

Several leading Asian teams, including China, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea, sent key athletes to Guiyang to test their preparations.

Deng's win was among the highlights for the host team on the opening day. She improved her time in each of the four rounds before winning the final in 6.14 seconds.

"There was a period when I resisted training. I couldn't understand why my form would suddenly drop after I had finally felt that it was coming back," she recalled.

Encouragement from her coach and her desire to win an Olympic gold helped her regain her motivation. Her head coach, Zhang Ning, repeatedly told her: "You are Deng Lijuan! You can't give up!"

Set to face strong competition at the upcoming Asian Games, Deng has a simple response: "Stand up to the challenge."

China also claimed two medals in the men's speed event. Young Chinese climber Ling Yongzhi won silver in 4.75 seconds, while Chu Shouhong took bronze.

Ling said a period of intense training had helped him make progress.

"Before Shanghai, I went about two months without competing and focused solely on training. I wanted to make sure I performed well in these end-of-season races," he said.

As new contenders continue to emerge in men's speed climbing, Ling said athletes must learn to embrace the uncertainty of the sport.

"No one can guarantee that they will win every competition," he said. "So I just want to let myself go, enjoy the competition and enjoy the climb."

China's strongest performance came on the final day in the men's speed relay. Zhao Yicheng and Ling clocked 9.75 seconds in the quarterfinals to equal the world record previously set by Zhao and Long Jianguo. They then lowered it to 9.58 seconds in the semifinals.

They won the final in 9.67 seconds, with China's second team, represented by Shi Zechuan and Li Xu, taking silver.

Zhao said the disappointment of missing out in the individual event had helped him become more focused in the relay.

"Actually, I was still happy," he said.

China also won the women's speed relay. Fan Jingyue and Guizhou native Zhang Shaoqin defeated teams from Japan, South Korea and Spain to take gold.

"Trust your teammates, do your own job and climb every course well," Fan said of the team's strategy.

For Zhang Shaoqin, competing at home made the victory particularly meaningful.

"It was really exciting to win the relay gold at home as a local athlete," she said, thanking the spectators for their support.

From individual events to relays, Guiyang offered China's climbers a valuable dry run for Nagoya.

With the Asian Games officially starting on Saturday, Team China will be looking to carry the momentum from Guiyang onto the continental stage.