Rising Star Zhang carries China’s hammer tradition into a new era

At just 18 years of age, world hammer bronze medallist Zhang Jiale has already announced herself as one of the most exciting talents in the sport.

That status was underlined recently when she was named the World Athletics Rising Star Award winner – recognition that reflects not only a remarkable season, but the promise of what may still lie ahead.

Born in Zibo, in China’s Shandong province, Zhang’s rise has been both rapid and historic. But hammer throwing was not always part of the plan.

“Before I started in athletics, I didn’t even know what the hammer throw was,” she admits. “Most people are familiar with shot put, discus, or javelin, but hammer throw is less well known.”

Zhang’s introduction to the event came through her first coach, who saw something in her physical attributes – and perhaps something more.

“My first coach chose this event for me based on my physical traits, but also because he felt it was my destiny or my fate.”

That sense of destiny has since deepened under the guidance of Ye Kuigang, the coach behind an extraordinary lineage of Chinese hammer throwers. Zhang is the latest in a select group of Asian women to surpass 77 metres, joining Wang Zheng, Zhao Jie, Zhang Wenxiu and Zhang Jie. All were coached by Ye; all have won global medals; and together they have amassed 14 podium finishes at senior World Championships and Olympic Games.

Ye, himself a former international hammer thrower, two-time National Games champion and 2000 Asian silver medallist, has also overseen an exceptional level of sustained excellence. Four of the top 15 performers on the women’s hammer world all-time list have emerged from his stable, placing Zhang firmly within one of the most productive coaching legacies the event has known.

Zhang’s own rise gathered momentum in 2024. She won the Asian U20 title near the start of the season, then went on to claim the world U20 crown later that year – performances that confirmed her status as the leading hammer thrower of her generation and marked the transition from junior standout to senior contender.

Her dominance is illustrated clearly in the record books. Zhang owns the 10 longest throws ever achieved by an U20 athlete, a level of statistical separation that mirrors the way hammer legend Anita Wlodarczyk has come to define the senior event. Already, Zhang sits 15th on the senior world all-time list, an extraordinary position for a teenage athlete in a discipline that often favours older and more experienced throwers.

Zhang’s ascent has been defined by composure as much as distance. When reflecting on her bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 – on her senior global debut – Zhang spoke candidly about managing nerves on the biggest stage.

“I was a bit nervous in the qualifying round. It was my first time competing in front of so many passionate spectators,” she said. “But by the final, I’d adjusted. I told myself, ‘I’ve already made the final. Anything more is a bonus.’ So I felt much more relaxed.”

That mindset delivered a medal – and a benchmark moment in her young career.

“I was very surprised! Getting a bronze at my first World Championships – what a high starting point,” she said. “But I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself going forward. I just want to keep surpassing myself.”

At home, Zhang draws inspiration from those who came before her. Training alongside senior teammates such as Wang and Zhang Wenxiu has been formative.

“Once I learned about our sport and how strong Chinese athletes are internationally, they became my role models,” she said. “When I joined my coach’s team and trained with them, they taught me a lot. They’ve always been my examples to learn from.”

She now finds herself part of a compelling domestic rivalry with compatriot Zhao Jie, her training partner and fellow world medallist. While Zhao leads their career head-to-head 21-1, the gap has narrowed significantly this year. Just half a metre separated them at the World Championships, exactly one metre at the National Games – and in Schoenebeck in June, Zhang defeated Zhao outright.

It is a rivalry that signals both depth and momentum within Chinese women’s hammer throwing.

Looking ahead, Zhang’s ambitions extend beyond medals already won. Competing at the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27 is a particularly vivid target.

“Competing at home means I’ll have more support from our own people,” she said. “It’s like being a kid on stage with your whole family in the audience applauding. And I love that kind of stage.”

Ultimately, her goals are as bold as they are historic.

“No Asian woman has ever thrown beyond 80 metres,” she said. “China also hasn’t yet won a World Championships or Olympic gold in the women’s hammer. I think these are the goals for our new generation.”

With a Rising Star award already in hand and a world U20 record to her name, Zhang Jiale may be closer than anyone before her to turning those goals into reality.

Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics