A Chinese track and field sprinter has scored a staggering 462 in the national college entrance exam, or gaokao, earning her a place in the country鈥檚 top universities.
Liu Xiajun, 19, took the gaokao for the second time earlier this month after her score last summer fell short of admission to the country鈥檚 best school, Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Liu, who is from the city of Ziyang in southwest China鈥檚 Sichuan province, rejected an offer from the prestigious Fudan University in Shanghai in 2024, considered China鈥檚 second best, to chase a spot at the institution in Beijing.
鈥淚 was very surprised [when I got my results] and asked my teacher: 鈥業s there a mistake in the results?鈥,鈥 Liu said.
鈥淚 believe that the most important factor in achieving such results before entering formal education is perseverance.
鈥淒espite the immense pressure of resitting the exam, you cannot think about giving up.
鈥淚 am deeply grateful to my teachers, my family and my friends for their unwavering support throughout this journey, but most of all, I am thankful for my own unwavering persistence.鈥
Liu also has class-topping form outside the classroom.
She won gold in the women鈥檚 4×100 metres relay at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in South Korea in 2023, and grabbed silver in the individual event.
Her season best in the 100m is 11.55 seconds, a time she achieved at a local competition in April.
According to local media reports, one day before the gaokao was due to start, Liu was still in training.
The gaokao, which this year took place from June 7 to 10, is widely considered the most important exam Chinese students will face.
Notoriously difficult, the test can make or break a young person鈥檚 future, since their scores largely determine if and where they can attend university and what areas of study they can pursue.
In China, high-level athletes, on average, need to score only 158 points to be admitted into a university. In most provinces, the maximum gaokao is 750, a score a student named He Biyu attained in 2000 鈥 at age 14. She went on to study at Tsinghua University.
Admissions to Tsinghua University in other subjects range from 650 to 676.