Chen Yujie Breaks Asian Youth Record Again; Xie Zhenye Wins Men’s 100m at National Athletics Championships
Chinese sprinting showcased both its rising star and enduring veteran at the 2026 National Athletics Championships on August 13, as 17-year-old Chen Yujie shattered the Asian U20 record in the women’s 100m and 33-year-old Xie Zhenye claimed the men’s title in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province.
Chen Yujie, the teenage sensation from Ningbo known affectionately as “Little Sister” to Chinese fans, stormed to victory in the women’s 100m final with a time of 11.08 seconds, breaking the Asian Youth (U20) record she previously held and setting the best Asian time of the 2026 season. According to Xinhua News, the Zhejiang Sports Lottery Team runner improved her personal best by 0.02 seconds from the 11.10 she posted at the 2025 National Games.
A Rising Star’s Meteoric Ascent
Chen’s performance continued a remarkable trajectory that has seen her progress from 11.43 seconds in 2023 to 11.08 seconds today—a steady climb that has made her the dominant force in Chinese women’s sprinting. The race was run with a tailwind of 0.7 m/s, and Chen’s reaction time of 0.180 seconds helped her establish an early advantage that she never relinquished.
Veteran Ge Manqi finished second with a season-best 11.30 seconds, while Xue Kunzhi took bronze in 11.43 seconds. The margin between first and second—0.22 seconds—was described by The Cover News as a “cliff-edge” gap in a sprint event of this caliber.
Chen’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. After winning the 100m at the first National Youth Games in 2023, she has collected domestic titles across the National Games, National Championships, and National Championship Series—a “grand slam” of Chinese sprinting. At the 2025 National Games, she became the youngest women’s 100m champion in the event’s history.
“Before the race, I felt that if I performed at my best, I could definitely break my personal best, but there were still some aspects that weren’t done well,” Chen said after the final, according to Sohu Sports. “For me, the priority is to keep breaking through step by step on the Asian and even world stage.”
Xie Zhenye Defies Age at 33
In the men’s 100m, Xie Zhenye delivered a masterclass in longevity and experience, winning with a personal season best of 10.10 seconds. The Asian record holder in the 200m and the first Chinese sprinter to break 10 seconds in the 100m, Xie defeated a field of much younger competitors, finishing more than a tenth of a second ahead of runner-up Ye Linyanheng (10.21 seconds) and third-place finisher Wu Haolin (10.22 seconds).
Xie’s victory was particularly notable given his age. Most sprinters peak in their mid-20s, yet Xie continues to compete at an elite level approaching his 33rd birthday. NetEase Sports reported that seven of the eight finalists ran under 10.20 seconds in the semifinals, underscoring the depth of the field.
“I think our team has done very well, following the plan step by step,” Xie said. “For an athlete of my age, it’s impossible to be at peak form all year round, so I need to save my best form for the most important competitions.”
Reflecting on competing against a new generation of sprinters, Xie added: “This is probably the fourth batch of opponents I’ve faced in my career. I’m honored to witness so many new stars rising, and I hope this batch can truly become generation-defining stars.”
Preparing for the Asian Games
The National Championships served as a crucial preparation event for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, scheduled for September 19 to October 4 in Japan. The competition format—with preliminary and semifinal rounds on the same night—was deliberately designed to mirror the Asian Games schedule.
Both Chen Yujie and Xie Zhenye are named on China’s 72-athlete athletics roster for the Games, as reported by Dongqiudi. Chen will make her Asian Games debut, while Xie will compete in his fourth Asian Games cycle.
Chen’s 11.08 seconds places her among the strongest contenders for the women’s 100m title in Nagoya. The Asian record of 10.79 seconds, set by Li Xuemei in 1997, remains a distant target, but Chen’s trajectory suggests she is closing the gap. Only three Chinese women have ever run under 11 seconds, and the “11-second barrier” is widely considered the threshold for world-class women’s sprinters.
A Generational Shift
Xie Zhenye’s comments about witnessing a “new wave” of talent rising capture the broader narrative of Chinese sprinting. The emergence of Chen Yujie, along with other young sprinters like Ye Linyanheng—who broke a 28-year Jiangxi provincial record in the semifinals with 10.16 seconds—signals a healthy pipeline of talent for the sport.
Chen, who balances high school academics with elite training, has been described as having “rocket speed” development since her breakthrough at the 2024 Asian Athletics Championships. Her parents are both former sprinters, and she began systematic track training in the fifth grade after trying taekwondo and tennis.
As the Asian Games approach, all eyes will be on whether Chen can translate her domestic dominance to the continental stage. When asked about her expectations for Nagoya, she was characteristically measured: “Just perform at my best.”
For Xie Zhenye, the Championships represented another milestone in a storied career that has seen him win gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games in both the 100m and 4x100m relay. As he put it: “As a veteran athlete, I need to stay calm and endure loneliness. Compared to younger athletes, I no longer need to prove anything.”
The 2026 National Athletics Championships, which opened on August 12 and features nearly 2,000 athletes from over 30 provinces competing across 44 events, continues through the week at the Quzhou Sports Center Stadium. Other events on August 13 included the men’s javelin, women’s pole vault, and women’s 1500m finals.