Yan Ziyi Smashes Asian Women's Javelin Record at Diamond League Xiamen
Quick Look
- Chinese teenager Yan Ziyi set a new women's javelin Asian record of 71.74m at the Diamond League Xiamen, a day after her 18th birthday.
- She also broke her own U20 world record and ranks second all-time globally.
AI-generated summary
A new women’s javelin Asian record of 71.74 metres has served as a coming-of-age gift for Chinese youngster Yan Ziyi, achieved as it was a day after her 18th birthday at the Diamond League Xiamen.
On Saturday night, the teenage phenom significantly raised the Asian record by nearly four metres to claim the gold medal on her very first attempt before passing on her remaining five throws, while also climbing to second on the world all-time list.
The performance shattered the previous Asian mark of 67.98m held by Lyu Huihui since 2019, while also refreshing the world under-20 record of 65.89m that Yan herself set at the 2025 Chinese National Athletics Championships.
In the history of women’s javelin, only Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic has thrown further, recording 72.28m in 2008.
Before Yan, only five female athletes worldwide had ever surpassed the 70m mark in the event.
When that world record was set, Yan was just three months and 22 days old. Eighteen years later, she was short of it by a mere 0.54 metres.
