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Lars Hamer

China’s Wu Yanni delivered the country’s best performance in the women’s 100m hurdles at last year’s Olympics, is a two-time national record holder and among the fastest women in Asia.
Yet in her home country, she divides opinion like no other.
Bold and outspoken, Wu is not afraid to tackle rumours head-on about having plastic surgery, to flaunt her tattoos and to stand on the starting block with bright, sparkling make-up.
From breaking decades-old records, trending on social media and lighting up the track, here is everything you need to know about Wu.
Born to run
Born on July 28, 1997, in Zigong, a city in southwestern Sichuan province, Wu’s journey into track and field began in the fifth grade, when she was spotted during a sports competition held in Neijiang, Sichuan. From there, she went to get further training in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.

In 2012, after being picked up by Yang Hui, a coach from the Beijing Sport University hurdles team, Wu began her career in the 100m hurdles.
Yang once described Wu as “made for hurdling” during an interview with local Chinese media, adding she possessed “many of the qualities that define a great athlete”.
Wu soon began collecting medals at national events, including gold in the 100m at China’s Youth Games in 2015 and bronze at the 13th National Games two years later with a time of 13.36 seconds. At the 14th National Games in 2021, Wu missed out on the title, earning a silver medal as Lin Yuwei took the gold.
Wu rose to the pinnacle of her career after earning a silver medal in the women’s 100m hurdles in the FISU World University Games, held in Chengdu in August 2023.
She set a personal best of 12.76 seconds during the race, a time that also secured her a place at the Paris Olympics.
However, 2023 also had its lows for Wu. During the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Wu came under the spotlight after being disqualified for a false start.
It was not the first time she had found herself in difficulty at the starting line – months earlier, at the 2023 Athletic Championships in Bangkok, she was also disqualified in the final of the 100m hurdles for the same reason.
Reflecting on these moments in an interview with Chinese news outlet The Paper, Wu described the 2021 National Games and the Asian Games as “the worst moments of my athletic career, and probably nothing worse after that”.

But Wu said those setbacks introduced a more “playful” attitude towards racing, allowing her to focus on the process rather than the results.
Still, after earning a place at the Paris Olympics, Wu’s preparation was far from smooth.
After the Asian Games debacle, she fell short of expectations at the Diamond League, where she finished in a disappointing 10th place with a time of 13.04 seconds.
At last year’s Summer Games, she delivered China’s best performance in the women’s 100m hurdles event, clocking 12.97 seconds.
This March, she broke the national record in the women’s 60m hurdles at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing with a time of 8.01 seconds.
Despite knocking down a record that had stood for 11 years, the now 28-year-old missed out on the final by 0.01 seconds.
Her time was the fourth fastest ever run by an Asian woman, but was good enough only for sixth in her semi-final and some observers slammed Wu for not challenging for a medal.
In criticism that has become all too familiar, one social media user dismissed her as “just a marketing tool and an internet celebrity”.
Online love and hate
Alongside her athletic achievements, Wu has faced a barrage of online criticism and speculation throughout her career, with social media users questioning whether her pictures were Photoshopped, if she had plastic surgery and criticising the make-up she wears during competitions.
“I think I am beautiful when I wear make-up,” Wu told Chinese media. “I enjoy trying different make-up looks and styles. When people say that I have had plastic surgery, I actually take it as a form of recognition of my beauty.”
Away from the track, Wu has found popularity on social media with more than seven million followers across all platforms, and despite the hate from some corners, she is loved by many.
Despite the online fame, Wu has distanced herself from labels such as “internet celebrity”.

“I’ve been in this sport for 11 years, working hard every day,” she said. “Am I doing this to be an internet celebrity? No. Do doctors, lawyers and forensic scientists work years in their fields to become celebrities? Of course not.”
Wu’s outspoken and rebellious personality, combined with her tattoos and unconventional appearance, often clashes with traditional expectations, repeatedly drawing her into controversies.
One topic that brings out the troll is her decision to wear dramatic make-up during her race.
“People come to see a race, not how pretty you look. They appreciate the process and the results,” some viewers said.
Wu said while traditional stereotypes expected athletes to be “barefaced”, she believed in everyone’s right to feel beautiful, and last November admitted to having double-eyelid surgery.
“Girls love to look beautiful, and I want to make myself beautiful too. I cannot let some comments on the internet stop me from pursuing beauty,” she said.


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National Games: outspoken Chinese hurdler Wu Yanni chasing beauty as well as results

Wu Yanni (left) in round one of the 100m hurdles at the Paris Games, where she clocked China’s best time at the Olympics. Photo: Xinhua

Wu Yanni hit a career pinnacle when she won silver at the World University Games in 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Being disqualified at the Hangzhou Asian Games was one of the lows of her career, Wu said. Photo: Reuters

Wu Yanni has been criticised for wearing make-up during competitions. Photo: Handout

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Rico Cheung ran his personal best at the Hong Kong Athletics Championships last year, a time only 0.03 seconds short of the city record  Photo:  Shirley Chui

Rico Cheung is targeting the city’s seven-year-old 110m hurdles record at the National Games. Photo: Ada Li

Rico Cheung trained with and learned from Xu Zhuoyi (left) in Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua

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Quan Hongchan (left) and Guangdong teammate Wang Weiying swim away after completing a dive in the synchronised 10m platform event. Photo: Xinhua

Quan Hongchan (right) and Wang Weiying compete for Guangdong in the women’s synchronised 10m platform in the National Games. Photo: Xinhua

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Flamboyant athlete who was ‘made for hurdling’ divides opinion like no other, will be out to go one better than the silver she won in 2021


Flamboyant athlete who was ‘made for hurdling’ divides opinion like no other, will be out to go one better than the silver she won in 2021.


National Games: outspoken Chinese hurdler Wu Yanni chasing beauty as well as results

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Flamboyant athlete who was ‘made for hurdling’ divides opinion like no other, will be out to go one better than the silver she won in 2021

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Born to run

Flamboyant athlete who was ‘made for hurdling’ divides opinion like no other, will be out to go one better than the silver she won in 2021

Born to run