Athletics at the 1997 National Games of China
| Athletics at the 8th National Games of China | |
|---|---|
| Host city |
Shanghai, PR China 
|
| Date(s) | 17–23 October 1997 |
|
|
|
At the 8th National Games of the People's Republic of China, the athletics events were held in Shanghai in October 1997.
These games were marred by numerous doping affairs.
Guangxi runners Chen Xuehui (the 800m silver medalist), Jiang Limei (the 400m hurdles champion) and Peng Yinghua (the 400m hurdles silver medalist) were later disqualified for doping. Sichuan long jumper Xiong Qiying, the long jump event winner; was also tested positive.
Held on October 17–18.
After having clocking 10.90 seconds in the heats (setting a new area record in the process), Sichuan's Li Xuemei easily won her semi-final before smashing her record in a high-level final with a time of 10.79 seconds.
Her teammate Liu Xiaomei, who had won the event four years before, took the silver medal in a personal best time of 10.89 seconds.
Guangxi twice Olympian veteran Tian Yumei finished third with a time of 11.06 seconds; equaling her personal best she had set in the semi-finals.
Nineteen-year-old Xiao Lin from Sichuan broke the Asian junior record three times. She came to Shanghai with a personal best of 11.29 seconds set in Chengdu that year and improved it to 11.22 in the heats, then to 11.20 in the semi-finals and finally to 11.17 in the final.
First 4 of each heat (Q) qualified for the final.
Held on October 21–22. Chen Yuxiang from Shandong set a new Asian junior record of 22.83 seconds in the heats and advanced to the semi-finals.
First 4 of each heat (Q) qualified for the final.
Held on October 17–18.
The final was won by Liaoning 17-year-old Li Jing in an astonishing time of 50.01 seconds. She beat Grit Breuer's world youth record of 50.48 seconds set in 1989 in the process.
Guangdong Du Xiujie and Shandong Chen Yuxiang finished respectively second and third. Zhang Hengyun, from Jiangsu, who had finished second in the event four years before; crossed the line in fourth place, recording despite all a new personal best.
...
Wikipedia