At the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, 17-year-old Chen Yujie of China made history. On September 25, she claimed the women's 100-meter gold medal in 11.06 seconds, setting a new Games record, beating the previous mark of 11.15 seconds set by Sri Lanka's Susanthika Jayasinghe in 2002 — a record that had stood for 24 years.
The road to victory was far from smooth. In the semi-finals, Singapore's two-time Olympian Shanti Pereira clocked 11.28 seconds and became the clear favorite. Chen clocked 11.41 seconds — a solid result, though not eye-catching — to secure her place in the final.
Chen later admitted she felt heavy pressure ahead of her first Asian Games final. "On the training track, my legs shook. I was afraid of a false start," she recalled. Rather than submitting to nervousness, she kept repeating to herself, "Stay calm, avoid mistakes, and run cleanly."
When the starting gun went off, Chen found another gear. She turned in a brilliant final run and crossed the finish line first. Pereira took silver with a season-best 11.21 seconds, while Bahrain's Edidiong Odiong earned bronze in 11.33 seconds.
For Chen, this gold serves as an early, meaningful birthday gift. She will turn 18 this December — the legal age of adulthood in China. When asked how fast she believes she can go in the years ahead, she just replied: "I have no limits."
Pereira spoke highly of the rising Chinese sprinter. She said she was excited to see what Chen would do and believed Chen would keep breaking records.
This remarkable win builds on Chen's earlier achievement: she won the women's 200-meter title at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships, where she also finished ahead of Pereira.
Now holding her first Asian Games gold, the teenager has set her sights higher. "I hope to show my strength at the World Championships and the Olympics. I want to leave my mark on Chinese and Asian women's sprinting," Chen shared.
24. What do we know about Chen Yujie from this article?
A. She broke a 24-year-old Asian Games record.
B. She made it to the final with an extraordinary result.
C. She beat Shanti Pereira by 0.09 seconds in the final.
D. She won her Asian Games gold medal at the age of 18.
25. What does the underlined phrase "found another gear" in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. Realized her true personal limit.
B. Entered a more powerful state.
C. Changed her usual way of running.
D. Discovered new sports equipment.
26. Why does the writer mention Chen's success at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships?
A. To stress rules vary in different competitions.
B. To show her Asian Games victory was no accident.
C. To explain why she felt great pressure before the final.
D. To prove she once broke a Games record at that competition.
27. What message does the author want to convey?
A. Young athletes can break records as long as they keep calm.
B. Top-level runners often set higher goals for their own future.
C. Real courage is moving forward bravely when you feel afraid.
D. Constant hard work is the only secret to becoming a great athlete.