China’s First Extreme Parkour League Event a Success, Marking a Milestone for the Sport

        On August 2, the Jinan leg of the 2019 China Extreme Parkour League, jointly organized by the Chinese Extreme Sports Association and the Shandong Provincial Sports Federation, and hosted by the Jinan Sports Federation, the Jinan Athletics Sports Center, the Jinan Athletics Association, and exclusively operated by Shizhi Sports, came to a successful close. Nearly 100 athletes from all over the country gathered at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center to present a thrilling display of power and grace in sports.

　　It is understood that this event featured three categories: Men’s Elite Group, Men’s Mass Group, and Women’s Elite Group, with both Speed and Skill competitions. As the names suggest, the Speed competition emphasizes the pace of parkour, while the Skill competition focuses on the fluidity and difficulty of movements. After the preliminary rounds on the first day, the finals reached a fever pitch on the second day. From the 16 to 8, 8 to 4 rounds... after multiple intense matches and duels, the awards for the Jinan leg of the 2019 China Extreme Parkour League were finally decided. Zhou Mianwei secured the championship in the Men’s Elite Group Speed competition of the first leg with a steady performance and a time of 23.637 seconds. Li Yiqi finished a fraction of a second behind, coming in second, but also claimed third place in the Men’s Elite Group Skill competition. The top two spots in the Men’s Elite Group Skill competition went to Teng Gaozheng and Gao Jiawen. In the Mass Group, Sun Xihang, Li Runsa, and Yang Shengbo took the top three spots in the Speed competition, while the Skill competition podium was claimed by Wang Guojing, Yang Shengbo, and Sun Xihang. Tan Yuqi and Liang Jiayi were the biggest winners in the women’s category, taking first and second places in both the Women’s Speed and Skill competitions.

　　Notably, in addition to the high-level professional competition, the Jinan leg of the 2019 China Extreme Parkour League also uniquely integrated a parkour carnival experience open to the public, incorporating rich and fashionable youth elements. Among them, the children’s mini parkour event was no less exciting than the adult competitions. The seriousness and focus on the young participants’ innocent faces allowed us to feel the unique charm of parkour. All young participants received completion certificates, and six of them even earned direct invitations to the Youth Elite Training Camp organized by the Chinese Extreme Sports Association. They will be eligible to participate in the camp’s training activities, becoming the next generation of parkour athletes. Through this approach, the Chinese Extreme Sports Association hopes to discover more talented young parkour athletes, encourage more people to challenge themselves and embrace sports, thereby effectively promoting the development of parkour in China.

　　In addition, well-known Roc brand performers and street dance groups ignited the atmosphere with music, adding to the leisure and entertainment life of Jinan residents and fostering a positive and healthy atmosphere for national fitness.

　　It is reported that this event is the first leg of the 2019 season of the China Extreme Parkour League, marking the official entry of China’s extreme parkour sport into a professional development phase. It is destined to become a milestone in the history of parkour in China, as well as a highlight in the integrated development of sports and tourism in Jinan. As the provincial capital of Shandong, Jinan boasts outstanding tourism resources, with attractions such as Daming Lake, Furong Street, and Baotu Spring renowned both domestically and internationally. By continuously integrating the “sports+” concept and using sporting events as core resources to innovate new ways of tourism consumption, it serves as a driving force for building a harmonious city and promoting economic development.

　　From August 23 to 24, the second leg of the 2019 China Extreme Parkour League season will kick off in Puyang, Henan. Let’s look forward to the fashionable sport trend of “getting cooler as you run”!