Photo: Li Hao/GT

The Chinese track and field athletes took part in the Continental Tour events in Beijing on Sunday, treating them as a chance to hone their skills in the buildup to the World Championships. 

On Saturday, the Chinese national athletics team unveiled a 73-person squad for the World Athletics Championships, which will be held from September 13 to 21 in Tokyo, Japan. Only a number of Chinese athletes chose to attend the Beijing event as a warm-up event to the Tokyo worlds. 

Xie Zhenye, a veteran sprinter who was among the Chinese men's 4x100m relay squad to win a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, finished Sunday's 100 meters sprint race in fourth place with 10.21 seconds, 0.05 seconds short from a podium finish.

Xie said that hosting more international events domestically could significantly boost domestic young athletes' development.

"Competing at home means less travel fatigue and more time dedicated to training, a clear advantage," Xie told reporters. "Having global stars compete on home soil is a tremendous opportunity for our younger athletes as they can learn from the elites." 

Yan Ziyi, a 17-year-old javelin thrower, won the women's javelin throw with 64.46 meters. However, Yan, who shattered the world under-20 record four times, will not compete for China at the worlds due to age limitations.

"This is my first time competing on home soil at a Continental Tour event, and I've adjusted my training in response to the international field," Yan said. 

"I only began training in javelin two years ago... I'm approaching international competition with a mind-set of learning. Breaking the U20 world record four times validates my training efforts, and I'll continue working hard."

Yan said she already has eyes to represent ­China at the worlds after Tokyo, which will be held in Beijing in 2027.

"Because of my age, I've missed many major senior competitions, but it's given me more time to hone my skills," Yan said. "In 2027, when I step into my first senior World Championships in Beijing, I aim to deliver even better performances."

Another youth sensation is men's 110 meters hurdler Chen Yuanjiang, who finished Sunday's race in third place with 13.27 seconds. 

Chen is among the three Chinese male hurdlers who have qualified for the worlds. 

"Qualifying for the Tokyo worlds marks my first trip to a world championships," Chen told reporters. "I aim to adapt to the field's intensity, learn from the best, and quickly adjust, in the hopes of breaking my personal best."

Chen is a world U20 championships bronze medalist, with his best result now standing at 13.18 seconds. 

He has also shrugged off the concerns over his form for the worlds since competing in two competitions in less than a week could lead to fatigue.

"I'm still young and recover quickly, so I don't think there's a stamina problem for competing in less than a week," Chen said.

Women's 400 meters hurdler Mo Jiadie finished Sunday's race in the third place with 56.31 seconds, 1.66 seconds short from her personal best of 54.65 which was set in August.

Assessing her performance in the race, Mo ­acknowledged the process was "not perfect," noting minor issues with her rhythm in recent training. 

However, she stressed she did not push for maximum intensity, adding, "The feel I got after finishing is good preparation for what's next." 

Mo is among the Chinese athletes who will travel to Tokyo for the World Championships. 

"I intentionally aimed to run with a slightly fatigued rhythm today to avoid feeling overly tired when I get to Tokyo, especially since my first event there is on opening day," she told the Global Times. 

"This run helped me find the right race-day feel, which will set me up better for upcoming competitions." 

The Continental Tour is the second tier of international one-day meetings after the Diamond League in the World Athletics competitions.