Seventeen-year-old Chinese javelin prodigy Yan Ziyi has been one of the brightest stories in track and field this year, breaking records and stunning crowds with her fearless performances.
Yet, despite her meteoric rise, the young sensation will miss out on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo due to age restrictions.
Yan’s 2025 season has been nothing short of extraordinary. She opened her campaign in March at the Chengdu Invitational by smashing her own U20 world record with a 64.83m throw. In May, she dipped slightly at the Shanghai Diamond League with a 60.54m effort that left her in fifth place.
But her comeback was emphatic, on August 3rd, at the Chinese Championships in Quzhou, Yan unleashed a personal best of 65.89m. The throw not only confirmed her dominance at the national level but also placed her 12th in the global javelin rankings.
After injuring her right ankle mid-competition, Yan continued and produced her record-breaking throw on her fifth attempt. Barely two weeks later, she was back in action at the Youth Athletics Games in Shenyang, winning gold while conserving her energy with just two throws. On September 7th, she topped the podium again at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Beijing with a 64.46m throw, further solidifying her place as the leading figure in U20 javelin.
Despite her stellar performances, Yan is barred from competing in Tokyo. Under World Athletics regulations, athletes aged 16 or 17 on December 31, 2025, are prohibited from entering throwing events, combined events, and long-distance races. Born in 2008, Yan falls into that category.
It is a familiar heartbreak. Just last year, she missed the Paris Olympics for the same reason, even though her results suggested she was capable of competing with the best.
Her coach, Lu Xiurong, as quoted by Essentially Sports, acknowledged the frustration but preached patience.
“We do have regrets, if she were involved in the Paris Games last year, it would be hard to predict the champion. 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.”
Yan’s path is being carefully managed, and at just 17, time is on her side. With her rapid improvement and fearless approach, many in the athletics world believe she could be a leading contender for gold at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
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