At The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, Ludovico Fossali (ITA) once again showed why he has become one of the sport’s most admired and enduring figures.
Competing in a stacked men’s field, the Italian star missed the podium by the narrowest of margins, finishing fourth with a time of 6.33 seconds Men's Speed Single Finals Bronze Medal Final to China's Long Jian Guo (4.83).
For a man who has spent nearly a decade at the top of his discipline, it was both a moment of frustration and a reminder of how fiercely competitive speed climbing has become.
For Fossali, however, results alone don’t define the journey. The 27-year-old from Trentino has lived through the rise of climbing from niche pursuit to Olympic spectacle, and few athletes can match his perspective.
“The World Games was the first opportunity for others to get qualified for the Olympics, so this one was big,” he recalled, casting his mind back to 2019, when he won the World Championship in Hachioji and with it, a historic Olympic quota spot. “As one of the first to qualify, I would say it (Sport Climbing joining Olympics) literally changed my life, my training, and a lot of things.”
That victory put Fossali into the spotlight as Italy’s pioneering speed climber, and while Tokyo 2020 brought challenges, it also left lasting scars.
Tokyo 2020 was a combined event featuring speed climbing, bouldering and lead climbing, the latter two disciplines not a strongpoint in his toolbox.
“I had to try two different disciplines in Tokyo, and I will say I'm not as good as the professional one in this,” he admitted. “Mentally, I struggled quite a lot because I remember the pressure of entering the stage.”
“It was something I had never felt before, and I knew I had to do well in my discipline; otherwise, there was no chance of getting into the finals with the other two.”
“It was pretty exhausting in the moment, but it helped me learn how to handle it in future competitions.”
The years since Tokyo have been a mix of hard pushes and rewarding peaks. In 2024, Fossali struck gold at the European Championships in Villars, Switzerland, his first continental title.
But it came at a bittersweet moment as he failed to qualify for Paris before the Villars result thus being more of a pick-me-up moment than anything else.
It was needed though after some hard times mentally on the wall and that ability to reset and find joy in victory has been key to his longevity.
In China is a much better headpace now and was all smiles at Tianfu Park but still fondly remembers the moments when he felt his climbing flowed freely as a youngster such as his 2019 triumph as a then 21 year old.
“Being younger was better for me. I remember the last World Championship we did in Switzerland—I had quite a pressure and the flow was there. I was just climbing well this day and the final also.”
“I remember I was just enjoying it. I had no pressure. I was fighting for the gold or the silver, so it was just a fun run.”
Chengdu, by contrast, was about endurance, perspective, and balance for the Italian.
2025 has been his “slow year”, still participating in competitions but enjoying every opportunity he gets to travel the world and meet fellow sport climbing friends rather than focus on the one or two seconds he may have botched.
The pressure he so often brought upon himself has been a welcome absence this year after two intense seasons in 2023 and 2024.
What has kept him moving forward is not only ambition - which for now is postponed - but also discipline in training.
Fossali is meticulous about physical preparation, blending classic lifts with modern monitoring. It perfectly complements his other career in Italy’s military sports group.
“It's a great family being there. It's a great opportunity as well, and sometimes they ask us to join them for some competition, some military competition, or in the barracks.”
“There is also a great gym and great people that can follow you in the training, so, I would say it's pretty good to be there.”
For now, Fossali’s fourth place in Chengdu is another chapter in a career that has already spanned an IFSC World Championship title, multiple World Cup medals, and European glory.
The Trentino-born climber may not have stood on the podium this time, but his presence alone means that he’s not going anywhere.
His story is not just about speed and records, but about learning, adjusting, and keeping perspective. And as Fossali himself put it “climbing will wait for me a moment, but I’ll come back.”