In an electrifying display at the Chinese National Junior Athletics Championships in Taizhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Chen Yuanjiang sprinted to victory in the men’s 110-meter hurdles on Tuesday. Clocking a remarkable 12.96 seconds, the young athlete not only smashed his personal best but also broke the Asian junior record for the 99-centimeter hurdles.
Charging ahead from the very first hurdle, Chen dominated the race, leaving his competitors trailing. Liu Guangheng of Zhejiang claimed silver, while Peng Yu from Sichuan took bronze. Chen’s time eclipsed the previous record held by Japan’s Shunsuke Izumiya by an impressive 0.23 seconds.
“I set my sights on breaking this record two years ago,” Chen revealed to reporters after his win. “I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted to announce it only after I achieved it.”
While Chen now holds the junior record for the 99-centimeter hurdles, the Asian junior record for the standard 106.7-centimeter hurdles remains with China’s Liu Xiang, who set a time of 13.12 seconds.
In other highlights from the championships, Wei Liwei of Jiangsu clinched the women’s 100m hurdles title with a time of 13.94 seconds. Despite a mid-race challenge from Hebei’s Zhang Jingyun, Wei maintained her lead, leaving Zhang in second place and local athlete Jiang Yuxuan in third.
Beijing’s Li Yuan also made a significant impact by securing a bronze in the women’s 800m final. This added to her impressive medal haul, which includes golds in the 3,000m and 1,500m events and a silver in the 5,000m.
