Li Zicheng, from Shandong province, reaching the finish line. [Photo by Zeng Mo /Chinanews.com]

The 29th Mount Tai International Climbing Tournament, in the city of Tai'an, Shandong province opened on Sept 6. It attracted 3,086 mountain climbers of different ages, 331 of them from overseas.

The 8.6-kilometer tournament began at 8:30 am and less than an hour later, Li Zicheng, from Shandong province, was declared the champion after reaching the top of Mount Tai in a time of 56 min 55 sec. The winner of the female group was Derartu Debela Delesa, from Ethiopia, with a time of 1 hr 8 min 33 sec.

The climbing competition has been held annually since 1987 and has attracted thousands of athletes and visitors from China and abroad.