SONG YILING, an 18-year-old student from Shenzhen Yuxin School, won the first prize at the Women’s Speed Climbing World Cup 2019 held in Moscow from Friday to Sunday, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Nearly 400 athletes from over 40 countries and regions attended the competition.

Song beat France’s Anouck Jaubert in a tight race to claim the victory in a time of 7.38 seconds, which is only 0.06 seconds slower than the world record.

Song joined the national climbing team in 2016 and represented China to receive a bronze medal in the Women’s Speed Relay Race at the 2018 Asian Games.

Due to her immense interest, Song started to learn to climb at the age of 7 with her mother’s support. At that time, Song’s father did not want her daughter to learn how to rock climb.

However, Song’s father told the Daily that among all of his daughter’s hobbies, rock climbing was the only one that she never wanted to quit.

According to Hong Lian, Song’s first coach, there are two things about Song that impress him the most, namely her extraordinary love for rock climbing and her great aptitude for the sport.

Song said during an interview that although she normally spends eight hours on drills and only has one day off for every three days of training, she never wants to complain or discuss the pain.

Like other girls her age, Song said that she is also into shopping, eating snacks and sightseeing, which according to her is her way to relax.

Climbing will be included in the Olympic Games for the first time in 2020.

(Wang Jingli)