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Willa Wu

China’s new hurdle star Wu Yanni delivered a brutally honest self-assessment of her Olympic debut when asked to mark herself.
Her time of 12.98 seconds in the 100 metres hurdles semi-finals was too slow to qualify for the final to cap a disappointing bow.
When asked what score she would give herself for her Olympic debut, she simply replied: “Zero.”
“I ran really slow while they ran super fast. Oh my god!” the 27-year-old added in a post-run interview with mainland media on Wednesday.
Though she fell short of qualification in the 100m hurdles, Wu will get a second chance in Thursday’s repechage.

Wu said she did not expect too much from Paris and her first Olympics was more an opportunity to learn from other, world-class hurdlers.
“I hope I can run faster, even just a little, in the repechage,” she said. “I want to break my own personal record.”
In China, Wu is one of the most popular and talked-about athletes on social media for her personality off the track as well as impressive performances on it.
The interview of Wu’s zero-point assessment has attracted over 27 million views with more than 1,600 comments on Chinese social media platform Douyin.
Many have expressed support for Wu, asking her not to lose confidence.
“Since when have you become so defeated? It would never be zero. Be confident, Yanni,” one user wrote.
Another said: “No matter what result you got, you remain our hero and the nation’s pride.”
But some suggested people had gone “so easy” on an athlete who did not deliver what she was capable of.
“I am a bit worried about her,” one Douyin user said. “Her level of public profile does not match her actual performance.
“You can be a high profile. But please gain that attention after you have actually earned something.”
“It turns out that truly liking someone means being able to accept everything about her. I now understand what social media darling really means,” another one wrote.
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Paris Olympics debutant Wu Yanni brutally marks herself ‘zero’ after qualification failure

China’s Wu Yanni failed to reach the final of the 100m hurdles in her Olympics debut in Paris. Photo: Xinhua

Wu Yanni’s (left) time of 12.98 seconds in the 100 metres hurdles semi-finals was too slow to qualify for the final. Photo: Xinhua

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Chinese hurdler Wu Yanni is a star on and off the track and likely to bring a lot of personality to the Paris Olympic Games. Photo: Xinhua

China’s Wu Yanni was described as ‘made for hurdling’ by her former coach Yang Hui: Xinhua

China’s Wu Yanni has become notable for her tattoos and on-track make-up as well as her track success. Photo: Xinhua

China’s Yanni Wu looks on as she stands with officials following a false start during the women’s 100m hurdles final. Photo: Reuters

China’s Wu Yanni celebrates after the women’s 100m Hurdles Final of Athletics at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Photo: Xinhua

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Xu Zhuoyi (centre) competes during the men’s 110m hurdles semi-final in Paris. Photo: Xinhua

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The Buzz

Her time of 12.98 seconds in the 100 metres hurdles semi-finals was too slow to qualify for the final


Her time of 12.98 seconds in the 100 metres hurdles semi-finals was too slow to qualify for the final to cap a disappointing bow.
