DOHA: China’s Yu Yuzhen yesterday needed only one attempt to set a new Javelin Throw World Youth Best with a 500g spec, with 61.97m an astonishing feat for the 17-year-old girl hailing from Fujian province.
The previous world best belonged to Australia’s Mackenzie Little and was set on 11 July 2013 in Donetsk, Ukraine.
However, another Chinese youth athlete, Xue Juan, threw 62.93m with the senior spec (600g) in 2003, a measure which is officially considered the World Youth best.
“I am so excited! Not only I won the gold medal, but I threw farther than anyone else before with the 500g spec and all of this in my first trip outside China,” Yuzhen said.
“To be honest, I am not that surprised with the distance. I usually throw 57m or so in training with the 600g javelin, so an over 60m mark was well within my reach,” she added.
Yuzhen got involved in athletics only three years ago, but she has progressed rapidly and has already set high standards for her career.
“My dreams go far beyond a youth category title. I don’t underestimate that feat, of course, but I want to be an Olympic champion one day, like my idol, Jan Zelezny. He is the best javelin thrower ever,” added Yuzhen who also loves playing and watching basketball.
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