Sam Watson, Deng Lijuan win Speed Climbing World Cup 2024 season titles as Wang Xinshang, Zhou Yafei clinch victories in Seoul

Olympic speed climbing medallists Sam Watson and Deng Lijuan were crowned the 2024 IFSC Climbing World Cup speed champions after results went their way at the final stop of the season in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on Friday (4 October).

Even a round-of-16 false-start for Watson, the men's world record holder and Paris 2024 bronze medallist, and a fourth-place finish for women's Olympic silver medallist Deng, were not enough to prevent them from winning the seasonal titles.

Instead, victories in the Republic of Korea's capital went to a pair of Chinese athletes, with Wang Xinshang taking the men's event and Zhou Yafei the women's, each of them achieving their first career World Cup wins.

Wang beat Kazakhstan's Amir Maimuratov in a final in which both men slipped multiple times on the 15m wall, with Wang winning in 6.23 seconds and Maimuratov finally touching the pad in 10.60 seconds.

Maimuratov had earlier eliminated Italy's Matteo Zurloni, the only man who could have overtaken Watson in the standings, in the semi-finals.

Watson, who was in the commentary booth when that happened, said: "It's such a weird way to win something, but it's definitely really cool.

"A goal of mine was to win the series: fifth place in 22, third place last year, and my first World Cup series win in 2024."

The other two men's Olympic medallists, Veddriq Leonardo and Wu Peng, were each eliminated in the quarter-finals, by Zurloni and Wang respectively.

Meanwhile, Zhou took advantage of a slip from Rajiah Sallsabillah in the women's final to secure her win.

In the air of a cold Seoul night, Indonesia's Sallsabillah lost her grip on an early hold, and although she recovered to finish the course in 8.08 seconds could not catch her Chinese opponent, who won in 6.78 seconds.

Deng, meanwhile, was the only Olympic medallist in action on the women's side in Seoul, but lost out by a tenth of a second in the small final to her compatriot Wang Shengyan who took bronze.

However, that was enough to see her overtake Poland's Natalia Kalucka in the standings.

The season's last World Cup stop concludes on 5 and 6 October with the Lead competitions, with livestream coverage Olympic Channel via Olympics.com in selected territories. Highlights and replays are also available.