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Chinese athlete Deng Lijuan celebrates winning silver in the women's speed climbing competition at the Paris Olympics, on August 7, 2024. Photo: VCG

China's Deng Lijuan bagged a silver medal for China in sports climbing women's speed final in the event's Olympic debut at Paris 2024 on Wednesday.

Deng was only 0.08 seconds short of the winner Aleksandra Miroslaw of Poland, who won the race with 6.10 seconds. 

"I am very happy with the silver medal and enjoyed the great atmosphere of the competition," 24-year-old Deng told reporters after the race, noting she felt excited about every climb on the course. 

Although Deng said she was disappointed to lose to her opponent by just 0.08 seconds in the final, she said she also gained confidence and enjoyed the process of the competition more. 

The winner Miroslaw is a double world champion and current world record holder whose record was set at the Paris Olympics with 6.06 seconds on Monday.

She appreciated the mutual improvement with her opponents during the event, before noting that her involvement in climbing was somewhat serendipitous. 

"My coach noticed my strength and encouraged me to focus on speed climbing," she said. 

Although Deng didn't win a gold medal, her result has sent many fans into jubilation. 

"Despite this close defeat, Deng's silver medal is significant for both her and Chinese climbing, as it is the first-ever silver medal in speed climbing in Olympic history," said Sun Haiguang, a Beijing-based sports commentator.

Deng's progress in the sport was hailed remarkable, as she has improved her personal best from 6.41 seconds in mid-July to 6.38 seconds in the Paris Olympic preliminaries, then to 6.36 seconds in the quarterfinals, and finally achieving the personal best of 6.18 seconds in the final.

"Her performance has shown remarkable improvement throughout the Olympics," Sun said. "This is a result that has surprised many fans."

Deng's rise in sports climbing has also resulted in the domestic climbing industry gaining attention, as domestic media reported that the searches for "climbing gyms" have increased by 62 percent year-on-year, and group buying orders for climbing have surged by 130 percent.

As the popularity of climbing continues to rise, there has been a shortage of professional climbing instructors. Many climbing gyms in Beijing are now recruiting to meet the growing demand.