Being able to closely appreciate the world-class climbers' performances is truly a feast for the eyes. On April 13th, the park square in Dadukou District was bustling with activity. As athletes on the stage experienced both slips and successes, thousands of spectators either gasped in awe or applauded together, fully enjoying the allure of "rock wall ballet."
Even the world’s top athletes had their share of slips during yesterday’s bouldering qualifiers. The first to compete was Russian climber Dmitrii, the men's bouldering world cup champion from last year. But even he struggled with the first route. After carefully studying the course, his first two attempts ended with mid-route falls, drawing gasps from the crowd. On his third try, relying on his skilled technique and alternating hand and foot movements, he executed a series of impressive maneuvers through the air before finally hitting the target hold on the wall. Success!! The applause from the audience below erupted instantly.
This is the first time a top-tier international rock climbing competition has been held in Southwest China, attracting numerous climbing enthusiasts from nearby provinces and cities such as Sichuan and Guizhou to come and watch. "I came specially from Chengdu to watch this competition," said Huang Desheng cheerfully to the reporter amidst the bustling crowd. Holding a DV in one hand, he recorded every move of the climbers ahead, not wanting to miss even the smallest detail. "I’ll send it to my friends when I get back."
Besides rock climbing fans like Huang Desheng, many in the audience were seeing a live climbing competition for the first time. "I’ve only seen it in books or on TV before. Being here today, the atmosphere is completely different. These athletes are incredible—they can scale such steep walls with just their bare hands," said Zhang Jialin from Dadukou, visibly excited. "Tomorrow I’ll bring more friends to watch."
Today, the first leg of the Climbing World Cup will conclude with the finals. Many spectators have already made early preparations: "The finals will definitely be even more exciting—we’ll definitely come back tomorrow!" (Reporters: Han Chengdong, Zheng Kun)