YAN THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET

With youngsters making their mark and veterans tuning up in good shape, the Beijing meet on World Athletics' continental circuit has the country's best well set up for the Tokyo worlds and beyond.

Too young to enter the world championships right away in Tokyo, China's prodigy javelin thrower Yan Ziyi has emerged as one to watch in two years time when the track and field flagship championships return to Beijing, following her impressive debut on the Continental Tour Gold series, which is a step below the Diamond League, in the Chinese capital on Sunday.

At 17 years old and in just her second season competing full-time in javelin, Yan has immediately thrust her name into the elite ranks, throwing 64.46 meters on her first attempt at Beijing's National Olympic Sports Center Stadium to claim her first title on World Athletics' second-tier circuit.

Also an exceptional talent in shot put, Yan had dominated both disciplines at the junior level, underlined by her golden double at the U15 World School Sport Games in 2023, before she switched her focus entirely to javelin at the beginning of last year.

Even throwing against an established field that included multiple world championships qualifiers, at the Beijing meet, Yan stole the show with her sheer power and composure, securing the win with her first attempt, which was the only 64m-plus effort on the night, backing up her medal credentials at what will be her worlds debut at the Bird's Nest in 2027.

The biennial World Athletics Championships, the 2025 edition of which begin Saturday in Tokyo, cap the age limit for entries in all throwing disciplines at 18, and next time will again be held in Beijing, 12 years after the city hosted the 2015 edition.

"Now that I've broken the 65m mark this year, my target will be cracking 66m next year and building toward the 2027 world championships at home," Yan said in the mixed zone after Sunday's final.

"I didn't manage to do my best today, after messing up with my pace in the next few attempts following the first throw.

"I know I can do better, and I am looking forward to proving it in 2027."

Yan's season peaked early last month at the national championships in Quzhou, Zhejiang province, where, despite carrying a foot injury, she produced a personal best of 65.89m in her final attempt to secure a second straight senior national title while producing the world's third-best result so far this year.

The throw could've won her gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, surpassing the winning distance of Japan's Haruka Kitaguchi by nine centimeters, although Yan did it with her right foot sprained from her third attempt.

She missed the Paris Games due to the same age limitations, while her coach Lu Xiurong understands patience is required for Yan's long-term development.

"We do have regrets. If she were able to compete in Paris last year, it would be hard to predict the champion," Lu told Xinhua after the national meet.

"On the other hand, we knew that it might be a little premature to let such a young girl participate on the Olympic stage, so we should keep training, step by step, to wait for our chance."

Also shining at the Beijing meet on Sunday was China's veteran sprinter Xie Zhenye, who clocked a season best 10.21 seconds to finish fourth in the men's 100m final, which was won by Oman's Ali Al-Balushi in 10.09.

Xie, a fourtime Olympian and a member of China's silver-winning 4x100m relay team at the 2015 worlds, said his time at the continental meet has built his confidence for what will be his sixth world championships.

"To run a time like I did tonight, despite fatigue from a high-intensity training program, is a real confidence boost for me going to Tokyo," said the 32-year-old, who holds the Asian 200m record of 19.88 achieved in London in July 2019.

Xie is among 73 Chinese athletes that have qualified for the Tokyo worlds, and will race side-by-side with the country's next generation of sprinters, such as 23-year-old Deng Xinrui, China's first 100m world championships racer born after 2000.

Other notable leading lights on China's world championships roster include women's veteran shot put thrower Gong Lijiao, men's Asian triple jump record-holder Wu Ruiting and women's reigning Olympic champion race walker Yang Jiayu.

Gong, who won her first Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020, said she looks forward to returning to her happy hunting ground with a more relaxed mindset this time around.

"I am just enjoying my career at the moment and trying to represent my country at the highest level for as long as I can," said the 36-year-old, who won back-to-back worlds titles in 2017 and 2019.

Despite Yan's absence in javelin, 17-year-old sprinter Chen Yujie is expected to step up to represent the nation's young talent, as the 100m and 200m runner looks to showcase the fast progress China's next generation of racers has made.

"I am a bit nervous for my first world championships, which I think it's normal for a young athlete like me," said Chen, who is eligible to compete in Tokyo having met the 16-year-old age benchmark for track disciplines.

"Supported by more advanced training methods, more scientifically effective rehab and a healthy competition with teammates, I expect to present the powerful and beautiful image of China's younger generation on the world stage," said Chen, who is set to run the 200m and 4x100m relay in Tokyo.