"Am I here to be an Internet celebrity?" When the outside world labeled her as an "Internet celebrity player", Wu Yanni smiled indifferently and bravely justified herself with these honest words.
This post-90s female player, who has never been blinded by the halo and has always been down-to-earth, interprets her sports life with her strength, proving to the world that she is not only an Internet celebrity who has attracted much attention, but also a deserving top athlete.
On April 20, 2024, in the women's 100m hurdles final of the Xiamen Diamond League, Wu Yanni, who participated in the top international competition for the first time, ranked 10th with a time of 13.04 seconds, creating a personal best time of the season. Although this result did not meet her own expectations, it is undoubtedly a new starting point and an opportunity for a new start for this rising Chinese track and field star.
It must be admitted that surrounded by a number of world-class masters, Wu Yanni did expose the gap in strength. The outstanding performances of top players such as world record holder Amsan and Olympic champion Camacho Quinn also made Wu Yanni feel the hardships of pursuing excellence again. However, in this competition, the post-90s female general was not only not crushed, but found the motivation to move forward from it, showing extraordinary psychological quality and will to fight.
As she said, "If you are strong inside, you can create the impossible!" The time of 13.04 seconds may not be impressive, but Wu Yanni's tenacity and courage in the process are the brightest highlights of this race. She competes side by side with world-class players, pays homage to her opponents with humility, and always smiles throughout the game, which is undoubtedly the highest respect for this stage.
Even after finishing bottom of the rankings, she did not lose her fighting spirit and immediately set her sights on the next matches, hoping to create another good result in the Diamond League in Xiamen and Suzhou, and hit the top 20 in the world rankings.
Such a state of mind and enterprising spirit are undoubtedly admirable. For an athlete who has never been shrouded in a halo and has overcome obstacles all the way to today, such a performance is undoubtedly even more commendable.
From emerging in 2023 to now frequently creating good results in domestic and foreign competitions, Wu Yanni's progress has never stopped. In her, we see the whole process of a post-90s woman who will continue to grow and transform.
At the 2023 National Indoor Championships, Wu Yanni won the 60m hurdles championship in one fell swoop, and refreshed her personal best many times in the subsequent competitions, and finally beat the crowd with an excellent time of 8.06 seconds, creating the best in China in 10 years and the first in Asia. This result not only earned her a national victory, but also a world ranking of 47th in the top 50.
And in front of her is none other than Lin Yuwei, the king of Asia. This undoubtedly injected a boost into the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and made everyone have high hopes for this "post-90s genius".
With the indoor season coming to an end, Wu Yanni's eyes have also turned to the highly-anticipated 2024 Diamond League. As a first-time Chinese player participating in this top-level event, Wu Yanni has undoubtedly attracted much attention. In Xiamen on April 20, although she finished in 10th place, her time of 13.04 seconds undoubtedly set a new personal season best, and also injected courage and motivation into her upcoming Olympic journey.
You must know that in this competition, Wu Yanni faced a number of world-class masters such as Amsang, the absolute king of the women's 100-meter hurdles, and Olympic champion Quinn. Even if she couldn't make it to the top in the end, she still used her fighting spirit to convey her strength to these top players.
It is undeniable that under the trouble of various rumors from the outside world, Wu Yanni is undoubtedly under great pressure. But she was not affected by these distractions, but proved her worth to the world with her practical actions.
Looking back on her career, it is not difficult to find that Wu Yanni, who has never been blinded by the halo, has always maintained a high degree of self-awareness and enterprising. She knows what her goals are, and she understands that the road to success is bound to be difficult. This mindset enables her to maintain a positive and optimistic attitude in the face of setbacks, face difficulties head-on, and continue to improve.
It is this indomitable fighting spirit that has allowed Wu Yanni to set a series of national and even Asian records in just one year, which also makes the outside world look forward to her performance in the Tokyo Olympics.
When asked if she had the confidence to reach the final of the Olympic Games, Wu Yanni admitted: "It may be a little too crazy. Indeed, for a post-90s rookie, there is undoubtedly a huge challenge to reach the Olympic final in the ever-changing 100m hurdles. But it is this attitude of facing reality and having the courage to challenge that makes Wu Yanni more and more determined on the road of chasing her dreams.
In the recent indoor competition, in the face of the strong suppression of world-class athletes, Wu Yanni did not flinch, but bravely faced the challenge, relying on her fighting spirit and professionalism, refreshed her personal best again and again, and finally refreshed the 10-year domestic record with a time of 8.06 seconds, which attracted widespread attention. Such a performance undoubtedly demonstrates the extraordinary potential and determination of this post-90s rookie.
It can be said that in the past year, Wu Yanni has successfully ranked among the forefront of track and field in Asia and even the world. Although she failed to achieve the ideal results in the Xiamen competition, she still used her fighting spirit and tenacious will to convey her strength to these top players.
With the Tokyo Olympics approaching, Wu Yanni will undoubtedly face more pressure and challenges. But it is this spirit of constantly challenging herself and having the courage to pursue her dreams that has made her great progress in the past year and become a rising star in the Chinese track and field world.
We believe that as long as she can continue to maintain her inner strength and determination, and prove herself with her hard work and sweat, then she will be able to add a strong touch to Chinese track and field at the Tokyo Olympics and realize her Olympic dream.
As she herself said: "There are still many months to go before the Olympics, and whether or not you can stand in the final round of the Olympics may not be that important. What matters is what kind of results I can run in the end, which may be more meaningful. Such a mentality is undoubtedly admirable. On the road of pursuing excellence, Wu Yanni has never stopped and is moving towards her goal step by step.
I believe that as long as she can continue to maintain this unremitting spirit of chasing her dreams, Wu Yanni will be able to write a more brilliant chapter in the Olympic arena in the near future and set off a new climax for Chinese track and field.