Javelin star’s injury scare adds extra spice to China v Japan battle for Asian Games gold

The women’s javelin at the Asian Games is expected to go down to a battle between China’s Yan Ziyi and Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi, and fans were given a glimpse of the fireworks they might expect in Nagoya this month.

Yan has dominated since the start of the year, throwing the second furthest distance of all time and regularly beating her rival, who took gold at the Paris Olympics two years ago.

Facing off at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest on Saturday, Yan again appeared to be heading for victory with an opening throw of 68.05 metres.

But the teenager showed visible discomfort in her right ankle when making her second attempt, and managed just 63.95m as her rhythm and power suffered as a result.

Kitaguchi exploded for a 68.92m throw in the same round to storm to first place, and while Yan opted for a third attempt her first was good enough for silver. Flor Ruiz of Colombia claimed third with a last-ditch 64.84m throw in the final round.

The Japanese star’s winning throw in Hungary not only surpassed her gold-medal performance of 65.80m by more than three metres, it also smashed her national record of 67.38m, which was set in 2023.