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Yuan Lei (center) from Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, stands on the podium with his gold medal at the 3rd Asian Youth Games. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

The 3rd Asian Youth Games officially kicked off in Manama, Bahrain on Oct 22. On the evening of Oct 25, 16-year-old Yuan Lei from Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province, won the gold medal in the boys' long jump with a personal best of 7.51 meters, setting a new record for the event.

Yuan, born in 2009, has been training in track and field since the second year of junior high, demonstrating exceptional talent and potential.

In recent years, Yuan's athletic achievements have shown steady improvement. In April this year, he won the long jump championship in the 16-17 age group at a provincial youth athletics competition with a distance of 7.39 meters.

Yuan's coach, Qu Jianyu, expressed his happiness over Yuan's success, stating that it was expected given the athlete's dedication and discipline.

After the 1st National Youth Athletics Championship in Shenyang, Jilin province in August this year, where he was disappointed with his performance, Yuan refused to rest. He immediately resumed training, taking extra sessions to address his shortcomings.

Looking ahead, Yuan is preparing for a major high school athletics competition and the 2026 provincial games.