Shen Lijuan

Shen Lijuan (Chinese: 沈丽娟; born 4 July 1958) is a Chinese female former track and field athlete who competed in the shot put.[1] She is a three-time Asian champion and a former Asian record holder for the event.[2]

Shen Lijuan
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  China
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place1978 BangkokShot put
Silver medal – second place1982 DelhiShot put
Asian Athletics Championships
Gold medal – first place1979 TokyoShot put
Gold medal – first place1981 TokyoShot put

Shen was the first Chinese woman to have international success in the shot put. Her games record throw of 17.70 m (58 ft 3⁄4 in) to win the gold medal at the 1978 Asian Games made her the first Chinese to take the title and she achieved the same feat at the 1979 Asian Athletics Championships with a championship record of 17.48 m (57 ft 4 in) a year later. She was the first woman to throw beyond seventeen metres at either event.[3][4]

She missed the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to China's 1980 Olympic boycott, but she competed at the alternative Liberty Bell Classic held in the United States and won that event with a throw of 17.09 m (56 ft 3⁄4 in).[5] This standard was far short of the Eastern European woman who reached the podium at the Moscow Games.[6] Shen remained at the top of her field at continental level, retaining her Asian gold medal at the 1981 Asian Athletics Championships and improving her championship record to 17.75 m (58 ft 2+3⁄4 in). He rise of national rival Li Meisu saw her fall back into the silver medal position at the 1982 Asian Games, however, as Li broke Shen's former record.[7] In her last major appearance (and first global one) she was eliminated in qualifying at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics.[8]

At national level, Shen won the shot put at the 1979 National Games of China with a meet record of 16.69 m (54 ft 9 in).[9]

International competitions
YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
1978 Asian Games Bangkok, Thailand 1st 17.70 m
1979 Asian Championships Tokyo, Japan 1st 17.48 m
1980 Liberty Bell Classic Philadelphia, United States 1st 17.09 m
1981 Asian Championships Tokyo, Japan 1st 17.75 m
1982 Asian Games New Delhi, India 2nd 17.25 m
1983 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 7th (q) 16.99 m

References
  1. Shen Lijuan. All Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-09.
  2. Libert Bell Track and Field Classic. The Gettysburg Times, pg. 11 (1980-07-18). Retrieved on 2016-04-09.
  3. Asian Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-09.
  4. Asian Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-09.
  5. Olympic Boycott Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-09.
  6. Olympic Games (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-09.
  7. Redmond, Ron (1982-11-27). Japan and South Korea made waves in swimming and.... UPI. Retrieved on 2016-04-09.
  8. Lijuan Shen. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-04-09.
  9. Chinese Championships and Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-09.
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