On June 22, Zhong Qixin, captain of the Chinese National Climbing Team and Red Bull-sponsored athlete, won the men's speed climbing event at the 2014 IFSC Climbing World Cup Haiyang Station with a time of 6.03 seconds, defeating Polish competitor Marcin. This marks his second victory following his win at the World Cup held in South Korea last October. Since his professional debut, Zhong has claimed multiple championships at top-tier international competitions, including the World Championships, Asian Championships, and various World Cup stages, while breaking the world record six times. He is now just one title away from achieving a “Grand Slam”—the World Cup overall annual championship.
However, this year Zhong Qixin seems to have fallen under a spell of poor performance on home turf. He was eliminated in the semifinals at both the first World Cup stop in Chongqing on April 27 and the Shanghai X-Games speed climbing event on May 1, before taking third place at the World Cup in Azerbaijan on May 4. The victory in Haiyang, Shandong, not only broke his “home curse” but also strengthened his resolve to continue competing in this year’s World Cup events and strive for the overall annual title.
After the preliminary rounds on June 21, Alina, a beautiful athlete from the Russian team, approached Zhong Qixin with Haiyang Station’s event program to ask for his autograph. It turned out that one of Alina’s friends is a huge fan of Zhong and specifically asked her to get his signature. Zhong is used to such requests—he is often asked for photos and autographs, not only by fans in the audience but also occasionally by young athletes from other countries. Since winning his first World Championship in 2007, Zhong has gone on to claim three consecutive World Championship titles and has earned numerous awards in various international competitions, consistently remaining at the forefront of speed climbing. His good looks and friendly demeanor have earned him many fans internationally. “When I compete in Russia, Iran, and South Korea, there are always lots of local fans cheering me on—it feels almost like I’m competing at home,” said Zhong Qixin. “Almost everyone who climbs where I’m from knows Zhong Qixin. He’s amazing and also a really nice person!” When talking about Zhong, Alina gave him a big thumbs up.