Who is Deepu Gowda? Everything about the Indian who created a national record in speed climbing
In the recently concluded IFSC World Cup in Chamonix, France, Indian speed climber Deepu Gowda created a new national record in the men’s speed climbing event. He clocked an impressive 5.783 seconds in his second climb.
He surpassed his previous national record of 5.887 seconds, which he created at the IFSC Asian Olympic Qualifier in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2023. Notably, this was the fourth time Deepu broke the national record.
Although he achieved the new national record, he finished 36th out of 51 climbers competing in the qualification round of the men’s speed climbing event at the IFSC World Cup 2024. It highlighted the fierce competition from some of the best talents from across the globe.
Eventually, the 22-year-old Matteo Zurloni from Italy won the gold medal, clocking 4.978 seconds while China’s Jianguo Long won the silver medal, clocking 5.056 seconds. USA's Samuel Watson clocked 6.934 seconds to settle for the third position.
Deepu Gowda had to secure sponsorship to fund his trip to IFSC World Cup 2024
Before heading to the IFSC World Cup in France, Deepu Gowda took to Instagram to thank his well-wishers for supporting and raising funds for the event.
“I Just finished my last training session before heading to France for the IFSC Climbing World Cup! Huge thanks to everyone who supported me and helped raise funds for this event. I’ll give it my all and strive for great results. Your support means the world to me,” he wrote on Instagram before leaving for France.
Deepu Gowda competed in five different World Cup events last year - IFSC Asian Qualifier Jakarta 2023, IFSC World Cup Chamonix 2023, IFSC World Cup Villars 2023, IFSC World Cup Jakarta 2023, and IFSC World Cup Seoul 2023, ending up with 15th, 44th, 75th, 50th and 48th ranks, respectively.
Sport Climbing made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, governed by the International Federation of Sports Climbing (IFSC). Though the inclusion was proposed by the IFSC in 2015, the sport was approved for inclusion in the Tokyo Games in 2021.