Setting the pace for the next generation

With their awe-inspiring predecessors about to hang up their spikes, China's future track stars have taken up the baton in style, fueling their hot pursuit of the world's elite with breakout performances at the National Games.

Leading the charge is China's own "Pocket Rocket" in the making, teen sprinter Chen Yujie, who's emerged as a serious world challenger at just 16 years old, bagging a golden double in the women's 100m and 200m at the 15th National Games, while also becoming the youngest winner of both sprint events in the quadrennial sporting gala's 66-year history.

The high-schooler set a new under-20 Asian record in 100m, too, clocking a personal best of 11.10 seconds to win Monday's final, before continuing that scintillating pace on Wednesday, battling through her fatigue to win the 200m title in 23.02 — the fastest time in the event since the 2001 Games.

Chen's untapped career potential, coupled with her bright smile and pint-sized physique, has earned her the "Pocket Rocket" nickname, with her fans paying homage to Jamaica's three-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who originally inspired the catchy track moniker for her diminutive five-foot-tall frame and signature burst of color and speed.

Only one U18 female sprinter in history has broken the 11-second barrier — American sprinter Candace Hill, who ran 10.98, also at 16, at a meet in Seattle, Washington, in June 2015, while Jamaican Olympians Briana Williams and Tina Clayton are the only other U18 athletes to have run faster than Chen over 100m.

With her breakthrough celebrated as a highlight of the Games' entire track and field program, Chen remains a confident, yet humble, young prodigy, who always has her sights set on the next race.

"I've been focusing more on the 100m, so my condition for the 200m wasn't my best," Chen said after winning the 200m final at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Guangzhou.

"I'm so excited at being able to win both, but now it's all over with the National Games. I want to focus on the long term and keep training well, stay humble and work hard. Now, it's time to look forward."

Two months ago, Chen became the youngest female athlete to compete at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where she ran the 200m heats and was on China's women's 4x100m relay squad.