The breakthrough came in May 2024, ahead of the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai.

Training alongside international athletes during their warm-ups, Zhao studied world-class climbers and channeled their energy into his own ascent.

While some athletes chased the "sub-five" milestone for seasons, Zhao achieved it after just one year of professional training.

Veteran climbers marveled at the awe-inspiring youngster. An 18-year-old Watson, who had already reset climbing's benchmarks several times by then, took nervous note.

"I'm very excited about the sport's future," he posted on Chinese social media platform RedNote. "But save some gold medals for the rest of us!"

Even the brightest ascents, though, cast momentary shadows. At the 2024 Chinese Climbing League opener in September, Zhao finished fifth after a quarterfinal slip, despite feeling "in good form, even mentally sharper than others".