Xue Kunzhi, a 21-year-old physical education student at Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), won the women's 100m final at the first Asian U23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 12, finishing in 11.37 seconds.

Three days later she took a second gold in the women's 4x100m relay, with a time of 43.75 seconds.

"I didn't think about winning or losing," Xue said. "I just told myself to drive off the ground and accelerate, to execute every movement from daily training, and to keep my eyes on the track ahead." She glanced at the scoreboard only seconds after finishing. "I was excited and surprised at once. I couldn't believe I had won an Asian title."

In the two months before the championships, she added extra work on her start and mid-race rhythm, easing into lighter technical sessions in the final week. Coach Yao Peng worked with her daily. "My reaction off the blocks was my weak point," she said. "He corrected my movement again and again until it became muscle memory, and adjusted my program so I would peak at the right moment."

Draping herself in the national flag after the relay, she thought back to early-morning training sessions and to her coach, family and teachers. "I felt clearly that I was representing Chinese youth athletics," she said. "The honor carried real weight, and it made me more determined to keep pushing and run faster."

A native of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Xue reached the national first-level athlete standard in 2023, running 12.16 seconds at the China Middle School Athletics Championships. She entered BIT in 2024 through its high-level athletic team program, ranking first in her event with a score of 89. Adjusting to Beijing's climate took time, and balancing study with high-intensity training was a long process: she often warmed up at dawn, took classes at the Liangxiang campus and trained at the Zhongguancun campus in the afternoon, fitting in coursework in between.

In December 2024, she won the 60m at the 40th Beijing Collegiate Track and Field Elite Meet, and in her second semester the 100m at the 63rd Beijing Collegiate Student Track and Field Championships. Later came a 60m silver at the National Indoor Athletics Championships, her first national-level competition, and relay silver at the Asian Relay Championships.

"BIT has supported me in both training and study, and given me a broader platform," she said. "Being steady and never giving up has become my creed."

The two titles are only a starting point: she wants to keep lowering her 100m personal best and compete at national and higher-level youth events, with the longer-term dream of racing at the Asian Games and World Championships.