On the evening of June 30, 2024, the women's 100-meter hurdles final of the National Track and Field Championships and National Track and Field Grand Prix Finals was staged in the spotlight. Wu Yanni won the crown with an astonishing time of 12.74 seconds, which not only set a personal best, but also set a new Asian best this year. Asian Games champion Lin Yuwei finished second with a time of 13 seconds, while popular Xia Sining was fourth with a time of 13.38 seconds.
This competition brings together the top masters of the Chinese women's 100-meter hurdles, which can be called the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The duel between Wu Yanni, Lin Yuwei and Xia Sining not only represents the highest level of China's short span strength, but also an important part of the Olympic preparations. Before the start of the competition, the outside world generally believed that Lin Yuwei was the favorite to win the championship as the Asian Games champion, but Wu Yanni's recent outstanding performance was not to be underestimated.
The race was exciting, and Wu Yanni showed strong strength after the start, and her cadence and rhythm control were textbook. Although Lin Yuwei started a little slowly, the momentum of catching up in the middle was very strong. Xia Sining was more consistent in the race, and although she failed to break into the top three, her time of 13.38 seconds also showed her potential.
Wu Yanni's achievement is not only a personal breakthrough, but also a strong voice to the world. The 12.74 seconds mark has already reached the direct qualification mark for the Paris Olympics (12.77 seconds), which will undoubtedly boost her confidence. Although Lin Yuwei failed to defend her national title, her 13-second time was still not to be underestimated, showing that her form is gradually improving after the training camp in the United States.
This game is also a "sequel" to last year's Asian Games in Hangzhou. At that time, Lin Yuwei won the gold medal, while Wu Yanni was canceled for rushing. Now, Wu Yanni has proved her progress with her strength, and she has also completed a beautiful "revenge". This kind of competition will undoubtedly promote the overall development of the women's 100m hurdles event in China.
From a broader perspective, the Chinese women's 100m hurdles are at their best in history. Wu Yanni and Lin Yuwei's results have reached the world-class level, and the new generation of players like Xia Sining is also rising rapidly. This kind of healthy competition will not only improve the spectacle of domestic competitions, but also enhance the competitiveness of Chinese track and field in the international arena.
The world's top athletes generally achieve a time of around 12.5 seconds, and Chinese athletes need to improve further if they want to challenge for medals at the Olympics. Wu Yanni's recent performance in the World Athletics Diamond League has been unsatisfactory, which also reminds us not to be blindly optimistic.
This competition is not only a wonderful showdown, but also a concentrated demonstration of the strength of China's women's 100m hurdles event. Wu Yanni's breakthrough performance, Lin Yuwei's steady performance, and the rise of the new generation of players all bode well for the future of this project. But at the same time, we must also be aware of the gap with the world's top players and continue to work hard in the next preparations.
It is believed that with the continuous improvement of the athletes, the Chinese women's 100-meter hurdles will surely shine brightly at the Paris Olympics. Let's look forward to the fact that in the near future, China's short span event will be able to create new brilliance in the Olympic arena!