On the evening of 4/8, Yanni finished first in the women's 100m hurdles final at the 2025 Chinese Athletics Championships with a time of 13.15 seconds.

Liu Jingyang, a medal contender, unexpectedly fell at the fifth hurdle. Lin Yuwei also stumbled but managed to finish third with a time of 13.29 seconds, while Chen Yinfeng took the silver medal.

Wu Yanni (right) competes in the women's 100m hurdles at the 2025 Chinese Athletics Championships on 4/8. Photo: Sports China

Wu Yanni (right) competes in the women's 100m hurdles at the 2025 Chinese Athletics Championships on 4/8. Photo: Sports China

The victory was a belated birthday gift for Yanni, who turned 28 on 3/8. However, she was not satisfied with her result. "I don't feel like celebrating this first-place finish," she frankly stated. "I still have to keep working hard for the next competitions. I shouldn't make excuses; if I don't perform well, I don't perform well. Winning the championship with 13.15 seconds doesn't make me happy. I think my performance today was terrible. Give me more time."

The next morning, Wu posted a short but determined message on her social media account: "This is my sixth national championship, but I'm very dissatisfied with my result. Give me a little more time, I'll be back."

Wu Yanni posts a photo expressing dissatisfaction with her performance.

This is the sixth time Yanni has won the national 100m hurdles title, following victories in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024.

Her 2020 gold medal win, with a time of 13.09 seconds, set a new Asian record. In 2021, Yanni continued to make her mark, running 12.87 seconds—the best Asian time that season and a national record since 2015.

Yanni's personal best (PB) is 12.74 seconds, achieved at the 2024 Chinese National Championships. The qualifying standard for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo is 12.73 seconds, meaning Wu has not yet directly qualified.

According to World Athletics and Chinese media, athletes who don't meet the direct qualifying standard can qualify based on their world ranking points. Earlier this year, Yanni was ranked 30th in the world and second in Asia, behind Japan's Yumi Tanaka, increasing her chances of selection.

Born on 28/7/1997, in Zigong, a city in southern Sichuan, Yanni is known as "China's athletics goddess." She has garnered attention on social media for her outgoing personality and tattoos, which she says symbolize her confidence.

Yanni won the Chinese championship in 2023 and reached the final of the Asian Championships in Bangkok that same year but was disqualified for a false start. In 2024, she achieved her goal of competing in her first Olympic Games in Paris. However, she gave herself a score of zero for her performance in her specialty event, the 100m hurdles, as she felt she couldn't compete with her rivals.

Compiled by Hong Duy