3 days ago
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Wu Yanni, a star in Chinese track and field, has admitted that winning an Olympic medal is an ambitious goal that feels out of reach for now and instead focusing on breaking more records.
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Wu Yanni represents China at a competition. Photo by Instagram/@wuyanni_jennie |
On March 23, Wu finished third in the semifinals of the women's 60m hurdles at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, clocking a time of 8.01 seconds, just 0.01 seconds behind Ackera Nugent of Jamaica. Although she did not make it to the final, Wu set a new Chinese record, breaking the previous mark that had stood for 11 years and achieved the fourth-best result of all time in Asia.
Wu's primary goal now is to break the national record for the 100m hurdles, currently held by Yu Zhang at 12.64 seconds, set in 1993. Wu's personal best at the event is 12.74 seconds, achieved at the national championship last year in Rizhao.
The Asian record currently belongs to Olga Shishigina of Kazakhstan, who set a time of 12.44 seconds in 1995. The Kazakh athlete continued to set the Asian Games record in 1998, with 12.63 seconds in Bangkok. Shishigina's result is the 39th best in history, while Wu's best is only 207th.
Wu is confident she can be the champion in China if she avoids mistakes and she hopes to aim for the Asian record once she surpasses the national mark. However, she is realistic about competing against top athletes from Europe and the U.S.
"Overall, my differences with the Europeans and Americans are too much. It wasn't on the technical side but my absolute speed and strength were far too behind," Wu told the South China Morning Post. "They have strong thighs and upper body strength whereas Asian athletes feel like a child standing next to them on the field."
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Wu Yanni represents China at a competition. Photo by Instagram/@wuyanni_jennie |
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Wu failed to reach the 100m hurdles final, posting a time of 12.97 seconds. The gold medal was claimed by Masai Russell of the U.S., who finished in 12.33 seconds. Wu acknowledged that breaking into the top three and winning a medal was beyond her reach at the moment, but her goal was to make it to the top eight.
"I went to the Olympics just to learn and earn more experience, I lack the experience competing in big tournaments," she added. "So, I always go to international competitions hoping to learn more.
"We need to go out and compete more, that’s how we can be better, and I believe we will be better."
Since starting her career in 2016, Wu has become China’s top female hurdler, but on the international stage, she has only won a silver medal at the 2021 World University Games.
During her career, Wu’s outspoken personality, tattoos and use of makeup during competitions have divided opinions within the Chinese sports community, but they never got to her as she always stays grounded.
"I'm here to make China's hurdling known worldwide," Wu told Xinhua. "Public attention fades, hard results stay. I won't let noise distract me. My job is to leave no regrets."
