At the just-concluded Jinan National Indoor Track and Field Grand Prix, rising star Wu Yanni made a splash in the women's 60-meter hurdles final. Her time of 8.11 seconds not only set a new personal best, but also forged her excellent form for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, which makes us look forward to her performance at the Olympic Games.
1. Wu Yanni won the championship in 8.11 seconds
1. Match Review
On March 13, the third stop of the 2024 National Indoor Track and Field Grand Prix was held in Jinan, Shandong. As the focus of this competition, the women's 60m hurdles final is undoubtedly the most eye-catching. In this spring competition, Wu Yanni from Sichuan won the championship with a proud time of 8.11 seconds, which not only set a new personal best, but also created the best level in Asia this season.
Before the race, Wu Yanni had already shown her strength in the preliminary round of the Glasgow Indoor World Championships with a time of 8.12 seconds. Although she didn't make it to the semi-finals, it was a great result to look forward to what she would do in this tournament. Sure enough, Wu Yanni's outstanding performance in the final did not disappoint.
At the beginning of the final, Wu Yanni was in the lead. Her fluid movements, precise hurdles and strong acceleration allowed her to quickly distance herself from the rest of the competition. Although Henan's Chen Jiamin and Yunnan's Chen Yinfeng both set their personal season bests, they were unable to shake Wu Yanni's lead. Wu Yanni won the championship with a time of 8.11 seconds, while Chen Jiamin and Chen Yinfeng won the second and third places in 8.28 seconds and 8.17 seconds respectively.
2 data
Wu Yanni's time not only set a new personal best of 8.12 seconds, but also surpassed the Asian best of 8.09 seconds held by Japan's Yumi Tanaka, becoming the new Asian indoor women's 60m hurdles record holder this season. She also surpassed the domestic best of 8.08 seconds set by Chinese predecessor Lin Yuwei last year.
Judging from the data, Wu Yanni's victory this time is by no means a fluke, but a perfect combination of strength and state. Her excellent starting reflexes, precise technical movements and strong acceleration are all important factors in achieving a good result. Especially in terms of rhythm control between hurdles, Wu Yanni has shown extraordinary talent and a solid training foundation.
3. Opponent strength
Although Wu Yanni is a top performer in this competition, we can't ignore the strength of other players. Chen Jiamin and Chen Yinfeng are both top players in this event in China, and their personal season best results this time are enough to show that their strength should not be underestimated.
Another opponent with good strength is Guangdong star Mo Jiadie. In the Nanjing competition last month, she won the championship with a time of 8.15 seconds, once approaching Wu Yanni's best level. Because she did not participate in this competition, she had no chance to compete with Wu Yanni.
Second, the call for the Olympic Games is high, and Wu Yanni's strength is to be tested
1. Olympic prospects
Wu Yanni's outstanding performance in this competition has undoubtedly added a lot of confidence to her upcoming Paris Olympics. As a leader of the new generation of Chinese track and field, Wu Yanni has always regarded the Olympic Games as her highest goal. At the Chengdu Universiade, she was a sensation and won the runner-up.
The Olympic stage is more challenging than other events. She will need to stay in good form and achieve some important qualifying results in the coming months to ensure she makes it to the finals of the Paris Olympics.
2. Goal challenge
For Wu, reaching the Olympic final is certainly a proud achievement, but her goal is much more than that. In an interview, Wu Yanni once admitted that her Olympic goal is to be in the top eight. This is undoubtedly a great challenge for her.
Judging from the results of the Tokyo Olympics, the worst time of the top eight is 11.78 seconds, while Wu Yanni's current personal best time is 11.76 seconds, which is not much different. As Wu Yanni said, the competition in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games will be more intense, and you will need to run better to reach the final. She will need to continue to push herself in the future competitions and set new personal bests.
3 competitors
At the Paris Olympics, Wu Yanni will face a strong challenge from top players from all over the world. The most favored is the 2024 world champion Charlton, a Bahamian flyer. Not only did she break the world record at the World Championships in Glasgow with a magical time of 7.65 seconds, but she also improved her personal best to 7.41 seconds, a big step ahead of her rivals.
Jamaica's Jackson and the United States' Kembra are also favourites to win gold. They have repeatedly shown strong strength in past tournaments and will be the biggest obstacle on Wu Yanni's road to winning the championship. We can't ignore the strength of Wu Yanni's old domestic opponents Chen Jiamin, Mo Jiadie and others. They are also expected to compete at the Olympics.
Third, Jinan field fruitful rookie emerges
1. Significance of the event
As the third stop of the 2024 National Indoor Track and Field Grand Prix, the importance of Jinan Station is self-evident. It is not only an important preparation before the Olympic Games, but also provides an excellent stage for athletes to test their strength and compete with each other.
For Wu Yanni, the victory in this game has added a heavy stroke to her Olympic road. Through this competition, she not only refreshed her personal best, but more importantly, accumulated valuable experience in the competition, and was fully prepared for a bigger stage in the future.
2 Other rising star performances
In addition to Wu Yanni's outstanding performance, this competition also gave birth to some other new star players. Among them, the most eye-catching is Zhejiang teenager Chen Yujie. In the women's 60m final, she not only won the championship with an excellent time of 7.27 seconds, but also set a new national youth record.
Another rising star to watch is Guangxi teenager Zeng Keli. Although he finished second in the men's 60m final, his personal best of 6.63 seconds was already impressive. He will be a dark horse in China's sprint program.
3. The future is promising
Through this competition, we have seen the unlimited potential of the new generation of Chinese track and field. The outstanding performance of young athletes such as Wu Yanni, Chen Yujie and Zeng Keli makes us full of infinite hope for the future of Chinese athletics.
I believe that in the future, through scientific training and more competition experience, they will be able to shine on a bigger stage and write new glories for Chinese track and field. Let's wait and see!
The Jinan Indoor Championships is a warm-up event for the Olympic Games, and Wu Yanni's outstanding performance has ignited our infinite expectations for the performance of Chinese track and field in the Olympic Games. She will compete with other strong teams and write new glories on the Olympic stage. Let's wait and see!