Speedster Chen hopes to go the distance

Three years ago, Chen Yujie was still a middle school student watching the Hangzhou Asian Games from home, with snacks and drinks beside her as she followed the athletes on television.

Now, at 17, she is an Asian Games champion.

At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday, Chen won the women's 100 meters in 11.06 seconds, setting an Asian Games record and an Asian U20 record. Two days later, she added a silver in the 200m in 22.93 seconds.

The two finals offered contrasting results, but together they gave Chen a clearer picture of where she stands and where she wants to go.

Ahead of the 100m final, Chen was filmed lying on the floor at the training venue, covered by a small blanket and apparently taking a nap.

The image quickly went viral in China, with social media users joking about the young sprinter's ability to "sleep anywhere".

But Chen's own account of the hours leading up to the final suggests she was far from relaxed.

"I was so nervous," Chen said of the semifinal, when she finished second in her heat after spending much of the race watching the runner to her right, only to realize at the finish that another competitor was coming through on her left.

The preliminary and semifinal rounds had both produced 11.41 seconds. Chen later said she had been too conservative in the first round and had been told by her coach to run within 11.40.

The final was different. Chen settled into her rhythm and crossed the line in 11.06 seconds, taking the title, with defending champion Ge Manqi absent due to injury.

"There was only one thought in my mind: finish the race safely. Don't make a mistake. Don't false-start," Chen said.

The victory also marked a personal milestone.

"This was my last 100m race before turning 18, and this result is the best coming-of-age gift I could have given myself," she said.

Afterward, wrapped in the Chinese flag, she turned toward the cameras and shouted: "Mom and Dad, I did you proud!"

Her parents were both sprinters, and her father recorded a personal best of 10.80 seconds in the 100m.

Chen's own ambitions already extend beyond the Asian Games. She has said she wants to compete at the World Championships and Olympics and "leave my mark on Chinese and Asian women's sprinting".

However, she is aware of the gap between success at the continental level and on a world stage. After the 100m, she noted that times in the 11.2-11.3 range can win races in Asia, but are not enough to contend for medals globally.

"To compete for those medals, you have to get under 11 seconds, even into the 10.7 or 10.6 range," she said.

Yet Chen does not see breaking 11 seconds as an immediate concern. "What's more important is performing every step well in daily training," she said. "Maybe, as I keep improving every technical aspect, I'll naturally break 11 seconds."

A different test

The 200m, meanwhile, exposed a different side of her development.

Chen finished in 22.93 seconds for silver behind Singapore's Shanti Pereira. She had hoped to run a season or personal best, but said she had not distributed her energy well enough.

Rain, a late rest period and the call-up schedule made conditions tougher, but Chen did not want to use them as excuses: "Every athlete has to face the same conditions. I can't blame my mistakes on external factors."

After winning the 100m, Chen had given herself 60 points because she still had the 200m and relay ahead. After completing her individual events, she raised that score to 80.

She also offered a simple explanation of why she prefers the shorter event.

"In the 100m, you grit your teeth and push through to the finish," she said. "In the 200m, sometimes you give it everything you've got, only to realize you've only run 80 meters."

The result gave her a practical lesson in managing two events with different demands.

"Since I have the ability, I want to contribute as much as I can to Chinese athletics," Chen said of her busy schedule.

At the same time, she sees her age as an advantage rather than a limitation. "This competition didn't go exactly as I hoped, but I still have the next Asian Games, and the one after that," she said.

"I hope I can be like Xie Zhenye and compete at four or even five major Games."

Beyond the track

Chen made her international breakthrough as a 14-year-old in 2023, when she won the women's 100m at the U15 World School Sport Games in Rio de Janeiro in 11.56 seconds, matching a meet record that had stood since 1982.

Those early international trips gave her a broader view of the sport — and of herself.

"Before, I was limited to my own small world, where I felt I was a big presence. But, after going to different places, I realized how big the world is and how small we are," she said.

Away from athletics, Chen remains a high school student preparing for the gaokao, China's national college entrance examination. She does not see sport and study as competing priorities.

"As an athlete, you can't focus on just one side. If you walk on only one leg, you won't get very far," she said. "Both have to develop together.

"After I go back, I need to calm down and study hard. For now, I'll put the feelings from the track aside."

An Asian Games record in the 100m and a silver in the 200m have given Chen new benchmarks to chase.

At 17, she still has time to find out just how far her speed can take her.