Yan Ziyi shatters U20 world record in women's javelin at Chinese Athletics Championships

In a remarkable display of athletic prowess, China's Yan Ziyi eclipsed her own U20 world record in the women's javelin by more than a meter, launching the implement an impressive 65.89 meters to clinch top honors at the 2025 Chinese Athletics Championships in Quzhou on Sunday.

The achievement marks the second new U20 global standard established at the competition, following Zhang Jiale's record-breaking heave of 77.24 meters in the women's hammer throw just one day earlier.

Yan faced considerable challenges during the event, struggling to find her rhythm in the first two rounds. A right ankle injury sustained on her third throw threatened to derail her efforts, but the 17-year-old's determination shone through as she bravely continued, despite slipping on her fourth attempt.

Her perseverance ultimately paid off, as she unleashed a stunning throw of 65.89 meters in the fifth round, surging to the top of the standings to secure the gold medal.

Yan's latest feat represents the fourth time in less than two years that she has refreshed the U20 world record. She first rewrote the mark at the age of 15 in April 2022, throwing 64.28 meters, followed by a toss of 64.41 meters in Quzhou last September, before tacking on an additional 42 centimeters in Chengdu five months ago.

In other notable performances at the Chinese Athletics Championships, 19-year-old Liu Kai blazed through his semifinal heat in the men's 400 meters, clocking in at 45.06 seconds to not only seal his spot in the final, but also shatter Guo Zhongze's national record of 45.14 seconds set in 2017.

And in the final of the men's 100 meters, Deng Xinrui triumphed with a time of 10.06 seconds, becoming the seventh Chinese sprinter to break the 10.10-second barrier.