The Plumbing and Heating competition at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 was contested by 26 countries, spanning four days Sept. 11-14 in Lyon, France.
Approximately 140,000 people from more than 90 countries visited the event at Lyon’s EurExpo center, bringing to a close an incredible summer in France, which also hosted the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Plumbing and Heating gold medalist was Weilong Sun from Weifang City in Shandong Province, China, and a student in the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at Shandong Industrial Technician College. Following his success in regional and national vocational skills competitions in the lead up to WorldSkills Lyon 2024, Weilong was also awarded the honorary titles of “Shandong Technical Expert” and “National Technical Expert” in China.
A joint silver medal was awarded to Ruben Duggan, representing the United Kingdom, and Doyoung Kang, representing Korea. Duggan is from a village called Man-Moel near Blackwood, Gwent, in South Wales. He works for his father, Sean, who is the managing director of the family business, Powerserv Ltd, along with two of his brothers, who are also plumbing and heating engineers. Duggan studied at Coleg y Cymoedd, Ystrad Mynach campus, Caerphilly in South Wales, and has also worked with the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineers. Kang is from Gyeongju City in South Korea and trained at the nearby Silla Technical High School. He now works with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
WorldSkills Medallions of Excellence were also awarded to the following Plumbing and Heating competitors:
- Yuki Ishii, Japan
- Luk Vogelsang, Switzerland
- Axel Bezias, France
- René Steinkellner, Austria
- Julius Maximilian Dohr, Germany
- Mikko Motin, Finland
- Balázs Vörös, Hungary
- Krzysztof Szewczyk, Poland
- Sebastian Battista, Australia
- Chen-Hsun Lu, Chinese Taipei
The next WorldSkills international competition — the 48th edition since its inception in 1950 — will take place in Shanghai, China, Sept. 22-27, 2026. For more information, visit www.worldskills.org
Mike Flenniken is a staff writer, Marketing and Communications, for IAPMO. Prior to joining IAPMO in 2010, Flenniken worked in public relations for a group of Southern California hospitals and as a journalist in writing and editing capacities for various Southern California daily newspapers.
Last modified: December 10, 2024