The second day of competition at the World Climbing Series Chongqing 2026 opened with the Speed Mixed Relay qualification round, with China 1 leading the field and New Zealand 1 setting a new Oceania record on their way to the final.
CHINA LEADS A CLOSE TOP THREE
China 1’s Ling Yongzhi and Mou Yuji set the fastest time of the qualification round, stopping the clock at 11.47 seconds.
Two Indonesian teams followed closely behind. Indonesia 1, composed of Raharjati Nursamsa and Rajiah Sallsabillah, finished second in 11.78, while Antasyafi Robby Al Hilmi and Adi Kadek of Indonesia 2 took third in 11.89.
Nursamsa and Sallsabillah are aiming to repeat their success from Guiyang, China, where they claimed gold in the Mixed Relay one week ago.
NEW ZEALAND BREAKS OCEANIA RECORD
New Zealand’s Julian David and Helen Lee produced a major improvement to set a new Oceania record and secure their place in the final.
The pair clocked 13.86 seconds, lowering the previous continental benchmark of 17.26 by more than three seconds. The performance placed them 15th overall and earned a spot in the final.
Lee explained that the team prioritised a clean run after a difficult opening attempt: “We mostly focused on getting a clean run, especially after we messed up the first one. It definitely wasn’t our fastest, like the fastest we could run individually. I think we were just trying to play it safe a little bit. And also our start and transition were better.”
With the pair having never practised the relay together before, Lee believes there is still room for improvement.
“I hope we can improve again, because we have never even practised the relay before. I’ve never practised reacting to someone else going instead of the beep,” she concluded.