The second “Nanjing Center Building Climb Competition,” sponsored by ROYALWAY and supported by Yangtse Evening Post, concluded successfully yesterday amid cheers and laughter. The competition drew athletes from Beijing, Shandong, Yunnan, Chongqing, and other areas to challenge the 249-meter, 69-floor Nanjing Center Building, the city’s newest landmark. In the end, 21-year-old Li Wentao from Shandong won the men’s championship with a time of 8 minutes, while Xu Yangting from Xuzhou claimed the women’s title with a time of 9 minutes and 41 seconds. The team championship went to a five-member squad from Nanjing Shengkuo Technology. Although the prize sponsor ROYALWAY’s three-person team didn’t place, their determination to reach the top was commendable.
Champions’ Highlights
Shandong young man flies in to claim victory
“8 minutes! The result is out — 8 minutes, the fastest time!” As soon as the competition ended, participants gathered around the electronic scoreboard displaying results. When the “8-minute” time flashed, the crowd erupted in applause.
The fastest climber to reach the top of the Nanjing Center Building was 21-year-old Li Wentao from Shandong. He told reporters that he had just participated in the Wuzhishan Mountain Climbing Competition in Hainan on the 17th, where he placed second, and had flown specially from Hainan to Nanjing for this building climb. “I’ve only climbed mountains before — I’ve never scaled such a tall building. When I saw the competition online, I wanted to take on the challenge. Climbing a building is quite different from climbing a mountain. I’m not very experienced, and by the 40th floor, I was really tired, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through to the top.”
Xu Yangting from Xuzhou won the women’s championship with a time of 9 minutes and 41 seconds. She shared that she had excelled in sports during high school, and although she studied accounting in college, she has always loved staying active. Having just graduated and started working in Nanjing this year, she felt excited to compete in her first event like this. “Actually, I started feeling a bit drained halfway up, so I just kept my head down, took the stairs two at a time at a steady pace, and pushed to the top.” After winning, Li Wentao and Yangting took a short break, then cheerfully donned ROYALWAY-sponsored outdoor gear and struck various poses on the podium for photos.
Behind the Scenes
Handless youth wins Most Special Award
One of the most eye-catching participants in yesterday’s climb was 23-year-old Ma Mingtao from Shandong, who has no hands. When reporters met him, the cheerful young man was busy submitting forms and picking up his race shirt at the registration area. Despite repeated offers of help, he insisted, “I can do it myself!”
In conversation, Ma told us he heard about the climb from friends in Nanjing. “We have a group of hiking buddies who often chat online, and they all encouraged me to come to Nanjing for the competition.” Having just won the Huangshan Mountain Climb Competition this year, Ma was confident and quickly signed up, even taking an early train from Nanjing on the 21st.
Many strangers stayed behind specifically to cheer him on after finishing their own climbs. Near the top, staff and media shouted words of encouragement: “You’re doing great, young man!” Ma performed exceptionally well and completed the climb smoothly. However, when he saw his time, he was a bit disappointed. “8 minutes and 45 seconds — a bit slower than I hoped. I thought I could hit around 8 minutes.” Ultimately, Ma won third place among all contestants. His perseverance moved Zhu Mei, general manager of ROYALWAY (Nanjing Qiancheng Meijing Outdoor Products Co., Ltd.), the clothing sponsor of the competition. She decided on the spot to award him a special Style Award: “This young man is remarkable. He has no hands — others can use their hands to help climb, but Ma Mingtao couldn’t. He climbed every floor purely with his legs. He perfectly embodies the spirit of this competition and of sportsmanship.”
Veteran competitor reflects on growing talent pool
Zhu Wenbing, who won third place in this building climb, is a sports enthusiast and a loyal reader of Yangtse Evening Post. Since 2005, he has participated in the newspaper’s climbing events, winning championships in the 2005 and 2007 “Shangmao Cup Climb Competitions,” third place in the “Zifeng Building Climb Competition,” and second place in the “First Nanjing Center Climb Competition.” This time, he finished third with a time of 8 minutes and 53 seconds. Zhu remarked, “My time is the same as before, but the level of competition has definitely gone up!”
Zhu stated that the Yangtse Evening Post’s building climb is the fairest of them all. “Ever since I won the championship in 2005, I’ve climbed landmark buildings across the country. Compared to others, Yangtse Evening Post’s events are the best organized — smooth, systematic, with card-swipe timing and staggered starts. This ensures fair results and unobstructed stairways, letting athletes perform at their best. In some cities, competitions start with a gunshot, everyone rushes, the stairwells are narrow, people get blocked, and it’s easy to get hurt in the chaos.” Zhu added that Yangtse Evening Post has wide influence and high public trust. If the competition is held again next year, he’ll be back with his friends.
Stories from the Top
Calm lady and high heels girl steal the show
This girl climbed in high heels
While most competitors opted for T-shirts, shorts, or sporty athletic wear, one participant actually wore high heels to climb the building. Contestant No. 6, a lively and pretty young woman, proudly lifted her leg to show off her heels to reporters at the finish line. “How about that? Pretty cool, huh? I climbed all the way up in these short heeled boots, hehe.” Though she took 23 minutes, the young woman didn’t mind at all. “I just wanted to see if I could do it — and I did.”
There was the high heels climber, and then there was the “Calm Lady,” who took the stairs step by step. This woman remained completely composed while others rushed up three steps at a time, scrambling for time and trying to overtake others. She took her time, moving one step at a time. When asked why she stayed so relaxed, she replied, “More haste, less speed” — quite amusing. Having climbed all 69 floors without breaking a sweat or getting winded, the nickname “Calm Lady” suited her perfectly.
