Zhang Jiale competes in the women's hammer throw qualification round at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, on September 14, 2025. Photo: VCG

After being named the Women's Rising Star during the World Athletics Awards 2025 in Monaco, China's hammer throw athlete Zhang Jiale told the Global Times that she hoped to contribute more to Chinese athletics. 

Zhang is the first athlete from China to win the Women's Rising Star of the World Athletics Awards. The award came after a breakout year that saw her twice renewing the World U20 hammer record. 

The 19-year-old won the award along with Men's Rising Star Edmund Serem of Kenya at the annual ceremony held by World Athletics on November 30. 

"The award is a recognition of my career and gives me a bigger stage. It also means I must strive to do better, living up to people's trust and expectations," she noted.

Chinese athletes have won medals in women's hammer throw at several editions of the Olympic Games, but a gold medal has always been missing. "I hope that in the future I can make a push for the top of the Olympic podium," Zhang said. 

At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Zhang Wenxiu won silver with a throw of 76.75 meters, marking China's best Olympic result ever in this event. At Paris 2024, Zhao Jie took bronze, marking China's fifth consecutive podium finish in the event. 

Zhang threw 77.24 meters to win the hammer throw gold at the 2025 Chinese Athletics Championships in August in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, improving her own world U20 hammer record by more than two meters. Her previous record of 75.14 meters was set two months ago in Germany.

She also claimed bronze in the hammer throw during her debut at the World Athletics Championships this September in Tokyo, Japan. Her teammate Zhao Jie won silver. 

Meanwhile, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2025, the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) received the Member Federation Award for its role in elevating the sport's international profile over the year. 

Chinese athlete Zhang Jiale Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Jiale

Elegance and power

At the ceremony, Zhang received the award from Armand Duplantis, Men's World Athlete of the Year.The pole vault star from Sweden won the Rising Star award in 2018. 

Zhang told the Global Times that what impressed her the most in 2025 was throwing beyond 77 meters for the first time and breaking her own World U20 record. 

"My performance improved quite quickly this year, but there is still so much I need to learn. Both mentally and technically, there's plenty of room to do better. In youth competitions I usually feel confident, but when it comes to the World Championships or the National Games, my desire to win isn't as strong. That may simply come down to a lack of experience and maturity in major competitions," said Zhang, who finished the recent National Games as runner-up.

After making a breakthrough this year, Zhang hoped that her results could consistently stay above 77 meters. "I want to build a solid foundation first, then look for further breakthroughs. I can't rush it. I need to keep a long-term perspective," she said. 

As one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, hammer throw requires careful technique to ensure the athlete throws the hammer the farthest distance possible while staying inside a seven-foot diameter circle. 

Throwing events are often described as a form of brutal beauty, but hammer throw blends full-body rotation, combining elegance with power. The athlete is like a dancer on the field, Zhang said. 

She added that chasing an Olympic podium finish is every athlete's dream, but only by daring to dream and daring to act can it be achieved.

Boundless passion

Zhang is part of China's rising force in track and field this year as more international athletics events were held in China, offering young athletes the opportunities to learn and grow. 

CAA emerged victorious for the Member Federation Award from a shortlist of six federations for its achievements across five key areas in 2025: institutional innovation, event enhancement, youth development, gender equality and commercial collaboration, according to a report by World Athletics. 

"In 2025, the successful hosting of the Nanjing World Athletics Indoor Championships and the Guangzhou World Athletics Relays demonstrated to the world China's professional event-organizing capabilities and boundless passion for athletics," said CAA.

At the Guangzhou World Athletics Relays, the Chinese team, mainly composed of young athletes who made their debut on the international stage, performed well, securing qualification for four events at the Tokyo world championships.

In addition to the final Continental Tour Gold meeting of the season in Beijing and two Diamond League events held in Xiamen and Shaoxing/Keqiao, hundreds of track and field and road running events were organized by CAA this year, attracting more than 6 million participants in total, said the report. 

Hosting world-class athletics events in China is a strong affirmation of the country's progress in the sport. When top international athletes come to compete here, it provides domestic athletes - especially young ones - with invaluable opportunities to learn, exchange, and gain experience, Chinese veteran sprinter Xie Zhenye said after participating in the Continental Tour in Beijing. 

The World Athletics Championships will return to Beijing in 2027, 12 years after Beijing's successful hosting of athletics' global showpiece in 2015. 

"Looking ahead, we will fully assist and support the organizing committees of Beijing and Yangzhou in preparing for the World Athletics Congress and the World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Yangzhou in 2027," said CAA.