The 16-year-old Yan Ziyi broke her own world Under-20 record in the javelin throw

China’s 16-year-old Yan Ziyi broke her own world Under-20 record in the javelin throw with a throw of 64.83m at the Throws Invitation Meeting 1 in Chengdu. It is her third world record in the age group.

Last year, the then-15-year-old Yan Ziyi set a mark of 64.28m in April and improved to 64.41m in September.

She won the World Under-20 title in Lima, Peru, in 2024 and was among the three nominees for the 2024 World Rising Star in the women’s event.

In 2024, Yan consistently exceeded 60 meters, clinching her nation’s women’s javelin championship in March in Tianjin with a throw of 61.31m. Throughout the year, she surpassed the 60-meter mark in four out of five competitions and achieved a personal best of 62.23m in Chengdu in April. Later that month, she established a world record for the Under-20 category in javelin with a throw of 64.28m at the China Athletics GP, surpassing Yulenmis Aguilar’s previous record of 63.86m set in 2015. This throw also exceeded the unratified record of 63.96m set by Greek athlete Elina Tzengko in 2020. Nevertheless, Yan was unable to participate in the 2024 Olympics due to the age restrictions imposed by World Athletics.

She is also national champion in 2024 and one of the biggest stars of Chinese athletics.