BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) — It has been a exceptional summer time for javelin athlete Yan Ziyi, because the 17-year-old claimed two gold medals on the first Youth Athletics Games of China in Shenyang, days after successful on the 2025 Chinese Athletics Championships.
At the Youth Athletics Games, open to athletes aged 16 and 17, Yan secured the person javelin title after simply two rounds regardless of competing with an damage.
“I haven’t fully recovered so was a little cautious today, I just wanted to confirm the first place, so I quitted the rest four rounds,” Yan mentioned.
Yan then helped Zhejiang win the javelin group occasion with the most effective Asian U18 efficiency, including to 2 medals in shot put to showcase her dominance in throwing occasions.
Born in 2008, Yan has been a standout since coming into senior nationwide competitions in 2024. She rose to prominence by breaking the world youth report with a throw of 64.28 meters in Hangzhou final April and has since damaged the mark 4 instances. Her most up-to-date report got here on the 2025 Chinese Athletics Championships in early August, regardless of competing with a sprained foot.
In that competitors, she struggled within the first two rounds and injured her proper ankle on her third throw. Refusing to withdraw, she stumbled within the fourth try earlier than producing a private better of 65.89 meters within the fifth spherical.
“After the third throw I told my coach that my right heel was swollen. She told me to quit, but I wanted to keep throwing,” Yan mentioned. “The fourth throw was invalid, but the javelin went quite far. So I decided to give myself another try. And I did it.”
Her throw of 65.89 meters ranks third on the world listing this season, surpassing the successful mark of Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi on the Paris Olympic Games. However, Yan is ineligible for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo subsequent month, as athletes underneath 18 will not be permitted in throwing occasions. She additionally missed the Paris Games for a similar cause.
Yet to compete within the Olympic Games or World Athletics Championships resulting from age restrictions, Yan and her coach Lu Xiurong stay affected person as they give attention to long-term improvement.
“We do have regrets, if she were involved in the Paris Games last year, it would be hard to predict the champion,” mentioned Lu.
“But Yan is clear with the regulations, and she didn’t think too much. On the other hand, we all know that the Olympic Games is at the highest level, let a young girl participate at this kind of stage may be a little premature. So we should keep training, step by step, to wait for our real chance,” Lu added.