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China’s Yan Ziyi delivered one of the standout performances of the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday, producing a massive 70.46m throw to win the women's javelin title.
Competing at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, Yan needed just one attempt to establish her dominance. Her opening throw comfortably surpassed the previous Asian Games record of 66.09m, set by fellow Chinese athlete Liu Shiying in 2018.
The 70.46m effort also gave Yan a huge advantage over the rest of the field. Japan's Haruka Kitaguchi, the reigning Olympic champion, finished with a best throw of 62.70m to claim the silver medal.
Yan subsequently did not need to make another attempt, having already secured the gold with her opening effort.
The latest performance adds another major achievement to what has already been an extraordinary 2026 season for the Chinese teenager.
Yan produced her personal best of 71.74m in Xiamen in May, breaking the world U20 record and moving to second on the women's all-time javelin list. Only Barbora Špotáková's 72.28m world record, set in 2008, stands above her on the all-time list.
Her 71.74m throw also made Yan only the sixth woman in history to surpass 70 metres. Her 70.46m Asian Games performance means she has now crossed that landmark twice.
At 18, her progression has made her one of the most closely watched young athletes in global women's javelin.
The Asian Games final also carried an additional storyline because of the recent rivalry between Yan and Kitaguchi.
The Japanese Olympic champion had beaten Yan at the World Ultimate Championship earlier in September, while Yan had arrived in Nagoya having established herself as one of the leading performers of the 2026 season. World Athletics reported that Yan had been unbeaten across her Diamond League appearances before the Ultimate Championship.
In Nagoya, however, Yan produced a throw that put the contest almost immediately beyond doubt.
Her 70.46m effort was nearly eight metres farther than Kitaguchi's 62.70m, giving China another major athletics gold at the Games.
Yan's emergence is notable not only because of her age but also because of the level at which she is already competing.
Her current personal best of 71.74m is only 0.54m short of the women's world record. World Athletics lists Yan as the world's No. 1-ranked women's javelin thrower, while her résumé already includes a World U20 title and multiple Diamond League victories.
Her 2026 season has included major throws in international competition, including 67.44m in Paris, 68.75m in Monaco and 68.42m in Brussels.
The Asian Games victory therefore adds another significant title to a season that has already established Yan as a major force in women's javelin.
With the 72.28m world record now only 0.54m beyond her personal best, Yan's performances are naturally generating attention around the possibility of a future record attempt.
However, the immediate significance of her Nagoya performance is the Asian Games title and record.
The 18-year-old has already demonstrated that her 71.74m throw earlier this year was not an isolated performance. Her latest 70.46m effort shows she remains capable of producing world-class distances on major championship stages.
With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics approaching, Yan's development will be one of the major storylines in women's javelin.
For now, though, Nagoya belongs to Yan Ziyi — the Chinese teenager who needed only one spectacular throw to rewrite the Asian Games record book.
