Yan throws down the gauntlet

With youngsters making their mark and veterans tuning up in good shape, the Beijing meet on World Athletics' continental circuit has the country's best well set up for the Tokyo worlds and beyond.

Too young to enter the world championships right away in Tokyo, China's prodigy javelin thrower Yan Ziyi has emerged as one to watch in two years time when the track and field flagship championships return to Beijing, following her impressive debut on the Continental Tour Gold series, which is a step below the Diamond League, in the Chinese capital on Sunday.

At 17 years old and in just her second season competing full-time in javelin, Yan has immediately thrust her name into the elite ranks, throwing 64.46 meters on her first attempt at Beijing's National Olympic Sports Center Stadium to claim her first title on World Athletics' second-tier circuit.

Also an exceptional talent in shot put, Yan had dominated both disciplines at the junior level, underlined by her golden double at the U15 World School Sport Games in 2023, before she switched her focus entirely to javelin at the beginning of last year.

Even throwing against an established field that included multiple world championships qualifiers, at the Beijing meet, Yan stole the show with her sheer power and composure, securing the win with her first attempt, which was the only 64m-plus effort on the night, backing up her medal credentials at what will be her worlds debut at the Bird's Nest in 2027.

The biennial World Athletics Championships, the 2025 edition of which begin Saturday in Tokyo, cap the age limit for entries in all throwing disciplines at 18, and next time will again be held in Beijing, 12 years after the city hosted the 2015 edition.