Shang Chunsong competes in a parkour competition at Tianmenshan Scenic Area of Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province on July 23, 2024. Photo: IC

A former captain of the ­Chinese national women's gymnastics team is striving for glory in a new arena - parkour.

A series of high-difficulty movements earned Shang Chunsong an impressive score of 33.1, placing her first among 19 competitors in the women's freestyle qualification of the second FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) Parkour World Championships recently held in Kitakyushu, Japan.

As the subsequent final was canceled due to the rainfall, the standings remained unchanged for the podium, securing Shang the gold medal, which also marked China's first-ever world championship in parkour.

Shang, who was the captain of China's bronze-winning gymnastics team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games told the Global Times that "if the final had taken place, I am certain I would have stood on the top podium."

Showcasing exceptional creativity, fluid transitions, and bold aerial maneuvers at the event, the 28-year-old said via her personal Weibo account that the world title has helped make up for the regrets she had in gymnastics and her next goal is the World Games in 2025.

The gold medal finish ensured her automatic qualification for the World Games 2025 Chengdu, scheduled to take place in August in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. 

Sense of freedom

Over 100 athletes from more than 40 countries representing all five of the FIG's continental unions competed for the world titles in speed and freestyle events during the three-day tournament from November 15 to 17, which showcased the spectacular discipline of parkour and redefined the "art of movement."

The Chinese parkour team fielded a total of seven athletes to compete in this event, covering all four individual disciplines: men's speed and freestyle as well as women's speed and freestyle.

Despite suffering a sudden waist injury while training just a week before the competition, Shang said she received a pain-relief injection and persevered through the preparation. 

"I love parkour. Compared to gymnastics, parkour, which usually takes place outdoors, gives me a greater sense of freedom and emotional release," said Shang.

She was drafted into the national gymnastics team in 2010 and achieved the career highlight of having a skill named after her - "Shang" or "Clear-hip Tkatchev piked" - a high-difficulty skill that she first performed on the uneven bars at the 2013 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships held in Belgium.

In Rio 2016, she led her teammates to clinch the bronze medal in the team event before narrowly missing out on a podium finish in the women's individual all-around. She retired from the national team after the 2017 National Games due to injuries. 

Despite making a comeback in 2019 and winning gold at the national championships, she couldn't regain her top form on the international stage. 

Gold medalist Shang Chunsong (center) poses on the podium at the FIG Parkour World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan on November 17, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of FIG

Since retiring from professional gymnastics, she developed a strong interest in parkour and began regular training in 2022. 

Shang, who is from Central China's Hunan Province, said that years of hard training in gymnastics helped lay a solid foundation for her switch to parkour, which also requires acrobatic prowess and perfect execution. 

"Thanks to the gymnastic training from an early age, it was easier for me to learn some difficult parkour movements. But the biggest challenge of the extreme sport is overcoming the psychological fear," she told the Global Times. 

Unlike gymnastics, where landings are executed on mats, parkour landings are performed on hard surfaces, significantly increasing the risk of injury. 

In addition, outdoor competitions are subject to varying weather conditions, introducing an element of unpredictability, according to her. 

"In the national gymnastics team, I could rely on robust support from coaches, logistics, and medical teams. However, now that I'm pursuing parkour, I juggle working as a gymnastics coach while training on my own, and the national team only comes together for centralized training before international competitions," she added. 

Eying World Games Chengdu

In her first international competition in May, Shang delivered a difficulty score of 1.0 whole marks above the highest-ranked men's competitor, collecting the first parkour World Cup gold for China.

Looking forward to the FIG Parkour World Cup in the Netherlands in May 2025 and the World Games 2025 in Chengdu later in the year, she has set her sights on a title sweep.

"If I win gold at the World Games, I'll achieve the parkour grand slam, which is my ultimate goal. I hope more people can learn about this sport and get involved. Most importantly, I dream of seeing parkour become an Olympic event one day - hopefully while I'm still competing," Shang told the Global Times. 

Having successfully hosted the World University Games in 2023, Chengdu will welcome about 5,000 participants from around the world to compete in 35 sports including wushu, cheerleading, tug of war, and squash.