[Video by Liu Chuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 40th Taishan Mountain International Climbing Competition and the 31st National Fitness Taishan Mountain Hiking Activity kicked off at the foot of Taishan Mountain, a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage site in Tai'an, Shandong province, on Sept 6.

The competition attracted nearly 3,500 professional athletes and 9,500 hiking enthusiasts from home and abroad.

Peter Kiprop Kosgei from Kenya claimed victory in the men's youth group, crossing the finish line in a time of one hour, three minutes and 39 seconds. In the women's youth group, Tang Hongfang from Zhejiang province secured the championship with a time of one hour, 18 minutes and 5 seconds.

This year's event featured four groups, retaining the existing youth, middle-aged and senior groups while introducing a new university student group. Each category was divided into men's and women's events, with participants aged 18 to 65. 

Participants in the youth and the university student groups followed an 8.6-kilometer route to Jade Emperor Peak, the highest peak of Taishan Mountain, at an elevation of 1,532.7 meters.

Twenty-one-year-old university student Gao Lingkang, who studies in Hubei province, won the men's university student category with one hour 13 minutes 55 seconds on his first-ever climb of Taishan Mountain. 

The climbing competition is an important part of the 40th Taishan Mountain International Mountain Climbing Festival, which was launched in 1987 and has grown into a key event that promotes Taishan Mountain's cultural and natural splendors and bolsters the reputation of Tai'an.