Chinese teenager wins gold in 100m sprint at Gymnasiade

A 15-year-old girl from Ningbo, Zhejiang province, won the 100-meter sprint event at the second U-15 Gymnasiade, also known as the U-15 World School Sport Games, on Monday.

Chen Yujie finished the race in 11.56 seconds, clearing the second-place young sprinter Thea Parnis Coleiro of Malta by 0.6 seconds. Beatriz Camargo Monteiro of Brazil finished third in 12.34 seconds.

Chen caught the attention of Chinese netizens in a provincial match in April, when she significantly outpaced fellow runners in the sprint and almost left all of them outside the camera as she finished. She finished that race in 11.63 seconds.

Chen's coach, Wu Yacun, said that Chen's gold-medal-winning performance was just "her normal level".

"Chen began training at a national training base in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, earlier this summer, and it took some time for her to adjust into the different climate and diet," Wu told Zhejiang media Dushi Kuaibao. "But more importantly, she trains hard, therefore she can improve quickly."

Wu said he is looking forward to see Chen's performance in upcoming 200-meter and relay events.

In its debut to the Gymnasiade, China sent 89 athletes from 22 provincial-level regions to participate in 12 sports. The event opened on Aug 20 and will end on Aug 26.