Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2021: As the fast and furious action unfolded on the track around her, Liu Shiying quietly and efficiently went about her work in the women’s javelin at the Olympic Stadium on Friday evening.
And when dust had settled, the 27-year-old Asian Games champion in Indonesia three years ago ended up with another gold medal – and this time on the grandest stage of all. It was the first time an Asian athlete had won the women’s javelin at the Olympic Games.
Liu hurled a season’s best 66.34 metres in her first throw and held off her 11 rivals in the final field. Poland’s Maria Andrejczyk took the silver with 64.61 and Australia’s reigning world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber was third with her best throw of 64.56 which was also a season’s best.
The Rio Olympian threw 66.09 metres to win gold in the Asian Games at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta in 2018 and needed just a little more than that to take gold here.
Liu threw last of the 12 athletes while her teammate, Lyu Huihui, was up first and eventually finished fifth with 63.41.
China’s women showed their strength in the field again as Liu’s javelin gold followed the gold of Gong Lijiao in the women’s shot put on August 1.
China picked up a second athletics medal on the day through Liu Hong, who won bronze in the women’s 20km race walk at Sapporo Odori Park.