Adapting to life in the fast lane

"Because when the male runners come up from behind, their speed is extremely fast. And our reaction at the start is relatively slower. The speed at which the male runners approach is completely different from that of a female teammate.

"For the same distance, a female runner might need three steps, but for them, it takes just two steps to reach us," she explained.

"Before I realize it, he's already in the exchange zone. So there's often a high chance of unpredictability during the handoff. It's really about constantly adapting to their speed."

But once the baton was safely in her grasp, the teenager left all her apprehension — and her opponents — behind her.

"It was just a pure thrill while running," she said. "It felt quite different from the women's relay."

That fearless sprint helped power the Chinese quartet, which also included Chen Jinfeng, Liu Guoyi, and Shi Junhao, to a gold-medal finish in 40.78 seconds.