Zhao Yicheng turned his World Climbing Series debut into one of the most striking breakthroughs in speed climbing. The Chinese athlete, just 16 years old, broke the men’s world record with a time of 4.54 seconds in Wujiang, beat American Sam Watson in the semi-final and went on to win gold in front of his home crowd. Zhao did not go over five seconds in any round and confirmed at senior level what he had already been showing in youth categories.
The new record came after a progression that had already caught the attention of the climbing world. In March 2025, when he was still 15, he clocked 4.66 and 4.65 seconds in a Chinese national team selection event in Baisha, times faster than the world record at that moment, although they were not ratified because the competition was not certified by the International Federation of Sport Climbing -IFSC-. Weeks before Wujiang, he had already broken the official record at the Asian Beach Games, but his performance at home gave his rise a new dimension: gold, a world record and a competitive maturity unusual for his age.
A story that began almost by chance
Born in Suzhou in 2009, Zhao first arrived at a climbing gym at the age of five because a friend took him there to try it. That casual visit first became a weekend activity and then a competitive routine. By the age of eight or nine, he was already taking part in youth events, where he began to stand out for his unusual speed. “When I was younger, there weren’t many rivals. I was always the fastest,” he recalled in an interview with Xinhua. “Yet being the fastest didn’t always mean winning. My mindset wasn’t sharp enough back then. But losing taught me more than winning.”
The most important crossroads came at 13, when he had to choose between a more conventional academic life and a growing commitment to climbing. Zhao was a strong student at Mudu School, with notable results, but he felt his future was on the wall. “I had good grades,” he admitted. “But sunlight on the wall felt brighter than any classroom.” According to Chinese media, his mother experienced that decision with a mixture of pride and concern: happy because her son truly loved climbing, but worried that he might leave his studies behind. The solution was a demanding middle path: from September 2023, Zhao joined the Shanghai team, with classes in the morning at Fengxian High School and professional training in the afternoon.
Reading to slow down the speed
The sporting leap came quickly. After his first full winter training cycle with the Chinese national team, his times dropped from more than 5.40 seconds to marks below five, a barrier that in speed climbing functions almost like going sub-10 in the 100 metres. Zhao explains it as a mixture of strength, technique, competitive environment and thought. “The team’s environment pushed me to train smarter. The nation’s best climbers are here, and every session demands your absolute best,” he said.
That thinking also appears away from the wall. Zhao keeps the habit of reading between training sessions, with history books, science fiction and Chinese classics such as The Three-Body Problem or Tao Te Ching, as well as a biography of Kobe Bryant. “Reading helps me quiet my mind and think independently – it sheds some of my restlessness,” he explained. For him, climbing is not limited to physical effort: “Climbing isn’t just physical. It’s a mental game. Without active thinking, you can’t reach the top level in any sport.”
Watson, Wujiang and the new world benchmark
Zhao’s relationship with time has also had its own story on social media. After clocking 4.65 seconds in Baisha, he changed his username, which until then had referred to a personal promise not to modify it until he broke 4.6. “I just had to see what the view looked like from 4.6 seconds,” he said at the time. A week later, he updated his profile again, now with a new reference to 4.5, as if each name were a small countdown towards the next limit.
In Wujiang, that countdown met Watson, the previous major name in world speed climbing. Zhao beat him in the semi-final with 4.54 seconds to the American’s 4.67, before defeating his compatriot Long Jianguo in the final. “There’s too many things in competition you can’t control, so I just try to focus on myself,” Zhao explained after his first World Climbing Series event. On the record, he added: “I didn’t want to think about world record. I just wanted to think about myself, stay calm and stay quiet through the competition.” He also had words for Watson: “Sam is a really excellent athlete and had the record before, so I’m happy to compete with him. Without him I cannot break the world record.”
A record that looks like only the beginning
Watson also acknowledged the impact of his new rival. “I’m impressed by his ability and definitely the best speed climbing I have seen,” he said after the competition. Speed climbing now demands ever greater consistency, with the leading athletes dropping below five seconds almost routinely and winners decided by increasingly tiny margins.
At 16, Zhao has already been a youth world champion, joined the Chinese national team, recorded unofficial times below the existing world record, broken the official world record and won on his first appearance in the World Climbing Series. His own focus, however, remains beyond the immediate number. “The next Olympics is over three years away. 4.5 seconds isn’t my ultimate goal. I’ll chase faster times. It’s a milestone, not the finish line,” he said.
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