Ryan Abiang lifts 2026 Parkour World Cup freestyle trophy

Gold medalist Ryan Abiang (C) of the United States, silver medalist Eloan Hitz (L) of France and bronze medalist Fu Kaige of China pose for photos during the awarding ceremony of the men's freestyle competition at the Parkour World Cup Beijing 2026 at Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 31, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- American teenager Ryan Abiang lifted the men's freestyle trophy at the 2026 Parkour World Cup here on Saturday.

The overall Parkour World Cup champion is the athlete with the highest points total in the relevant ranking after all events in the series have been completed, with points calculated from an athlete's best two results.

The 18-year-old won bronze in Montpellier, France, in May, earning 35 world ranking points.

Abiang faced a strong challenge from 17-year-old Chinese rising star Fu Kaige, who was making his Parkour World Cup debut.

Fu topped qualification with 31.4 points after an impressive display of high-speed spinning skills, while Abiang was 1.4 points behind.

However, Fu struggled with the pressure in the final. Starting last, he competed in front of a packed and enthusiastic crowd after strong performances from Abiang and France's Eloan Hitz.

Despite attempting more difficult skills, Fu stumbled several times and was marked down on execution, taking bronze with 30.3 points on his World Cup debut.

Abiang claimed his first World Cup title with 31.0 points and added 50 points to his world ranking tally. Hitz earned his first World Cup silver medal with 30.5.

"The performance was pretty, pretty crazy at first. I was like actually really scared," said Abiang. "I feel really crazy about winning the season title. It was pretty unexpected. But future goals? I would say go undefeated from this."

World Games freestyle champion Noa Man claimed the women's speed title in the 2026 Parkour World Cup series after sweeping all three World Cup events this season.

Man became the first parkour athlete to win a gold medal in women's freestyle at the World Games in 2022, the first edition of the Games to feature the sport.

The 21-year-old Dutch athlete won both women's speed titles at the World Cups in Montpellier and Istanbul, securing top spot in the world rankings before completing her sweep with a third victory this year in 35.12 seconds.

Shougang Park, where a former steel mill and its blast furnaces were transformed into an urban venue that gained worldwide attention during the 2022 Winter Olympics, will host the final two year-end title deciders in women's freestyle and men's speed.

Lola Roy (L) of France and Marta Gutierrez of Spain compete during the women's speed competition at the Parkour World Cup Beijing 2026 at Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 31, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)