Yan Ziyi produced one of the greatest performances in athletics history after launching a monstrous throw of 71.74m at the Diamond League meet in Xiamen on Saturday. At just 18 years old, the Chinese sensation stunned the athletics world by recording the second-longest women’s javelin throw ever, trailing only Barbora Spotakova’s world record of 72.28m set back in 2008.
What made the feat even crazier was the fact that Yan achieved it on her very first throw of the competition. The teenager immediately shattered the Diamond League record, broke the Asian record, and improved her own Under-20 world record in one unbelievable moment.
Yan had entered the competition hoping to cross the 65m mark, but ended up rewriting history instead. Speaking after the event, the Chinese star admitted that even she could not believe what had happened. She later decided not to take her remaining attempts in order to conserve energy for upcoming competitions.
“I came to this event with the goal of 65m, so it really blew my mind to see that result coming,” Yan said. “After that very first throw, I decided to pass the rest, since I felt it would be smart to save some energy since I have quite a lot of international events coming soon.”
Best throws in javelin (women)
- Barbora Spotakova (Czech Republic): 72.28m — Stuttgart, Germany, 2008
- Yan Ziyi (China): 71.74m — Xiamen Diamond League, Xiamen, 2026
- Osleidys Menendez (Cuba): 71.70m — Helsinki World Championships, 2005
- Maria Andrejczyk (Poland): 71.40m — Split, Croatia, 2021
- Mariya Abakumova (Russia): 70.53m — Berlin, Germany, 2013
YAN ZIYI EYES WORLD RECORD
Yan Ziyi admitted she was disappointed after missing the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo because of age restrictions, but said the setback ultimately helped her grow and prepare better for the future.
Despite producing the second-longest throw in history, the Chinese teenager said she is not satisfied with being second-best and has now set her sights firmly on breaking the world record.
“The world record wasn’t in my mind before. Today, my goal was to maybe try targeting the area record. But now, I think I can push harder. I will see how it will go for the next couple of years and prepare for breaking the world record,” Yan said.
Born in 2008, Yan Ziyi has rapidly become one of athletics’ brightest young stars. The Chinese teenager won gold at the 2024 World U20 Championships and broke the U20 world record multiple times before her stunning 71.74m throw in Xiamen.
With that effort, she became only the sixth woman in history to cross the 70m mark in javelin. Yan’s incredible rise has already made her a sensation in China, and the teenager believes her best is still yet to come.
– Ends
