China is witnessing the rise of new teenage track and field athletes who may aspire to win medals in future Olympics and World Championships.
Yan Ziyi, who will turn 16 in May, clinched her country's women's javelin title on Saturday in Tianjin with a throw of 61.31 meters, improving her November record by 3.5 meters.
Ziyi's throw stands as the all-time best performance by a 15-year-old with a women's 600-gram javelin. The unofficial under-17 world record for women's javelin belongs to another Chinese athlete,
Xue Juan, at 62.93 meters set in 2003.
In the women's 60 meters, there was also a strong performance from a young Chinese athlete as
Yujie Chen won her country's indoor championship with a time of 7.27 seconds. She turned 15 at the end of December.
The men's 400 meters saw intense competition on the tight indoor track, with
Ailixier Wumaier, who will be 18 in May, winning the Chinese championship in 45.79 seconds. He ran his outdoor personal best of 45.71 seconds in November.
China needs to rapidly develop new world-class track and field athletes as the country is set to host the World Indoor Championships in spring 2025 and the outdoor World Championships in 2027.
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