Zhang Keyi wins gold, breaks asian U18 best

On November 8, the athletics competition began at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games, with China’s track and field team claiming 1 gold and 1 silver medal. Seventeen-year-old Zhang Keyi took gold in the women’s 100m hurdles final, setting a new Asian U18 best, while 16-year-old Zhang Hangyu won silver in the men’s 100m with a time of 10.57 seconds.

Earlier in the day, Zhang Keyi clocked a season-best 13.45 seconds in the 100m hurdles semifinal, topping her group to reach the final. Despite a slightly slow reaction at the start in the final, she quickly caught up to the field, seized the lead, and crossed the line first in a personal best 13.17 seconds.

After the race, Zhang Keyi said: “This was my last youth hurdles race. If I hadn’t won gold, I might have regretted it for life. I always believed I had the strength, and today I finally did it.”