Chinese Throwers Win Diamond League Annual Titles

In a historic weekend for Chinese athletics, throwers Yan Ziyi and Feng Bin were crowned Diamond League annual champions at the season finale in Brussels, Belgium, marking the first time China has claimed two titles in a single Diamond League season. The duo were the only two Chinese athletes to qualify for the final, and both emerged victorious in their respective events.

A Double Triumph in Brussels

According to Xinhua News, 18-year-old Yan Ziyi claimed the women’s javelin title on September 5 with a meet-record throw of 68.42m, coming from behind in dramatic fashion. After trailing through the first three rounds — which included two fouls — she surged into the lead in the fourth round with 64.95m before extending her advantage with the winning throw in the fifth round. Japan’s Paris Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi finished second with a season-best 65.44m.

A day earlier, Feng Bin captured the women’s discus title with a season-best throw of 67.46m. The China News Service reported that Feng’s victory ended American Valarie Allman’s five-year consecutive championship streak at the Diamond League Final, with Allman settling for silver at 66.92m.

Historic Significance for Chinese Athletics

Feng Bin became the third Chinese athlete to win a Diamond League annual title, following Gong Lijiao (women’s shot put, 2019) and Lü Huihui (women’s javelin, 2019). Yan Ziyi’s triumph the following day made her the fourth. The wins also ended a seven-year drought for China at the Diamond League Final, with the Yangcheng Evening News noting that no Chinese athlete had claimed a Diamond League Final title since Gong Lijiao in 2019.

Yan Ziyi’s Remarkable Season

The Brussels victory capped an extraordinary debut Diamond League season for Yan Ziyi, who went undefeated across all five meets she entered. As reported by Phoenix News Ningbo, the young thrower from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, won in Xiamen, Oslo, Paris, Monaco, and finally Brussels — with every winning throw exceeding 67 meters.

Her most spectacular performance came at the Xiamen stop in May, where she launched a 71.74m throw on her first attempt. According to Hangzhou Daily via Sina Finance, that throw simultaneously set the Asian record, World U20 record, and Diamond League record, ranking as the second-best throw in women’s javelin history — just 54 centimeters shy of Barbora Špotáková’s 72.28m world record from 2008.

Yan Ziyi’s rise has been meteoric. Discovered at age 12 during a school sports meet, she won the 2024 World U20 Championships at just 16 and has since broken the U20 world record multiple times. She was too young to compete at the Paris Olympics, having turned 18 only in May 2026.

What’s Next for the Champions

Both athletes will represent China at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan. Yan Ziyi will also compete at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest from September 11-13, having earned qualification through her Diamond League victory. However, Feng Bin will not participate in Budapest, as women’s discus is not included in the event’s program.

A New Era for Chinese Throwing

The double triumph signals a resurgence for Chinese athletics in throwing events. After two consecutive World Championships without a gold medal in track and field, these victories — combined with Yan Ziyi’s youth and dominance — suggest a promising future. With the typical peak age for women’s javelin throwers between 25 and 35, the 18-year-old Yan Ziyi appears poised to lead Chinese throwing for years to come.